Long Live, Akatsuki
by izumichan560
Summary: Nothing is ever normal in the Akatsuki. Welcome to Shinobi High School. AU Japan High School PeinKo, Kisafem!ita, Sasofem!dei, slight Kakuhi, and previous Hifem!dei.  Completed, sequel's up.
1. Chapter 1: Duck

_High school_ is a place for new beginnings, creating friends, and dissing the jocks and preps. In the midst of all the stereotypical groups, there was one that could be fit into any of them, besides the "popular kids". They were known well throughout the school, and it wasn't the kind of reputation that made you want to meet them. They got into fights with other groups—like serious fist punching fights. And the worse the school could do was put them on suspension, but luckily things never got very serious. Er, well, I think. This group was very protective of their friends...with a few exceptions. They had people of every kind, strange-skinned, strange-hair colored, strange eyes, and a couple of other small and big things.

This is their story.

They called themselves Akatsuki. No one knew how they came up with that name, but they made sure no one mistook it for "Red Moon". The Akatsuki were a group at Shinobi High School, somewhere in Osaka, I think. (Just FYI, that's not a real high school)

The so-called leader was named Pain. He never told anyone his surname, and so he was always called Pain. His girlfriend however (who we'll talk about next), always called him Nagato.

Pain has orange hair that spikes up, and awkward purple eyes with rings of circles around them, like ripples in the water. He has many odd piercings around his body. He usually kind, and the Akatsuki call him stupid, but he can take business seriously. Pain lost his parents in a house fire, and lives with Konan-our next member.

Konan Tenshi is Pain's girlfriend, and always calls him Nagato. She has shoulder-length blue hair, and auburn colored eyes. She has a piercing slightly below her lower lip, and always sticks a white origami flower in her hair. She's a dark and stoic type to outsiders, but she actually has a kind, motherly nature.

Next, we have Kakuzu. You can actually describe him in two words. And those two are stitched and money-obsessed. He's a brunette with stitches from a car accident. His parents left him for what he calls his "unnaturalness". Kakuzu always seems to scare his partners away in the Akatsuki. Oh yeah, and that's how the Akatsuki function—in pairs.

Then, there's Sasori. He's popular with a lot of the girls, but at the same time, they're scared of him. Maybe it's because he's a redhead (because redheads are hot), or his bored looking muddy brown eyes. Who knows. He lives with his grandmother, because his mother and father died in the military. Sasori is an artist, a sadist, short-tempered, and hates almost anything. So, we have yet to see his soft side.

Lastly, we have our best friends, Kisame and Itachi. Kisame is a strange sort, with blue tinted skin, as well as spiked blue hair. And his eyes? Yes, they are blue. He's almost never seen without Itachi, or so, the older sister of Sasuke Uchiha. Itachi is usually cold, and normally doesn't smile, but smirks. In a way, similar to Sasori.

So, here we begin the actual story.

X.X.X.X.X.X

"Itachi-chan! You're finally in high school!"

The eldest Uchiha sibling received a hug from the other girl of the Akatsuki—Konan.

"Ah...no hugs, Konan." Konan let Itachi go from her large, tight hug. She laughed a bit, and spotted three other Akatsukians.

"Sasori! Kisame! Kakuzu!" she called, waving. Her boyfriend, Pain, next to her waved as well.

"Hello everyone," Kisame greeted, smiling. He looked toward Itachi and ruffled her hair. "Hey-!"

"Haha, nice to see you finally in high school, Itachi-san," he approached, getting a half-hearted glare from the about-20-centimeters-shorter girl.

"Hn..." she muttered, folding her arms.

"Did you guys get a chance to check the lists?" Kakuzu asked, his voice gruff.

"Well...considering that there's at least one hundred people crowding around the boards...I thought it was a smart idea to come early." Konan smirked at her comment.

"Quit being a bitch. Did you check _everyone's_ classes?" the stitched third-year asked.

"Well, _someone_ woke up on the wrong side of the bed today..." Sasori grumbled, barely audible.

"Fucking puppet," Kakuzu shot back, a vein popping in his head.

"Anyway, to answer your question, yes, Konan and I _did_ check the class lists for everyone. We thought you didn't want to go through that mess, so I think we do deserve an apology and a thank you," Pain snapped. "Itachi is in 1B, Sasori is in 2D, Kisame is in 2A, _you_, Kakuzu, are in 3B, and Konan and I are in 3D." He read the classes off of his hand. These words were written on his skin with a purple marker.

"Thank you then. And I'm soorrrryyy," Kakuzu apologized sarcastically.

"Ass."

Unknown to the six Akatsuki members, a little farther down, two other figures stood, away from the boards of classes as well.

"Dammit!"

"Hidan, quit swearing, un!"

"Oh, shut the fuck up, you little pansy! Dammit's not even a fucking swear word."

"What did you say, hmmm?"

"What? Can't take a little joke?"

"Oh, shut up, yeah."

"Hmph."

The female and male suddenly fist-bumped with both hands. "(Hell) Yeah, we're in the same class (un)!" they yelled, jumping.

And then they stopped. "All we gotta do _now_ is find fucking class 1B," the silver-haired first year male named Hidan concluded.

"I think we need a map to a map so we can get to class, hmmm..." the female blonde added.

"Well, this is just fucking great! Not only are we the fucking new students, we have to fuck around to find our fucking class too!" Hidan pouted.

Deidara rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Well, let's just go and _try_ to find our class. We could just say that we're new students after all, yeah." The girl shoved her hands into her woven vanilla colored vest pockets, and started walking. The albino followed her.

The two walked on. Deidara and Hidan had been best friends ever since the third grade, when Hidan stole Deidara's sandwich from her bento, which made the girl slap him. He liked any girl that could put up a fight. Of course, this led them both to be scolded by the teachers. At first glance, you would think that they were a couple with an innocent blonde and an ass-tastic silver-head. But they had decided that they put that all aside, as they both had no romantic feelings toward each other. Just friends. Best friends.

As the two got inside the school, they saw many heads turn. It wasn't normal in Japan to see a natural blonde person or a silver haired person. Not to mention, from what Hidan had told Deidara, from guys' perspective, she was beautiful. And actually, she was.

Her blonde hair was natural straight, and as long as the middle of her back. She wasn't too short or too tall, about 160 centimeters (that's not true in the actual Naruto story). Hidan had guessed that she was still an A cup, and that's when he was flung into a wall. She was an AB blood type, with an interesting balance of creativity and insanity. Once you got to know her well, she was the type that you could have enough fun with without getting killed with the shenanigans. She lived with her father, but rarely ever talked about him, and the only person who knew why was Hidan.

She was beautiful, but hot-headed and overreacted.

Wait, but I forgot. Her most distinctive trait was her love for art. She had concluded that art was something to be transient, a quick moment never to be seen again, fleeting—an explosion. Hidan would call her a sadistic arsonist at times. Yeah, hard to believe he knew those words.

That made it understandable to why she hung out with Hidan. Hidan was a sadomasochist, foul-mouthed, and disrespectful to almost anyone and everyone. One would call him immoral and immortal, which the immortal part came from how he claimed that he was immortal from slaughtering animals that gave their lives to him. Deidara thought this was such a stupid way of thinking. Or maybe it was just that fact that he was in a religion that required slaughter? I don't know. Jashinism does crap to you. Hidan is frequently arrogant and ignorant, but he outwardly admits to how unintelligent he is. He's a bit protective of his friends, well, er, best friend Deidara, but that didn't put him above mocking her.

"Hey, newbie children," a voice rang behind the two new students.

"Huh? What did you say you little b-!" Hidan was cut off by him and Deidara being pulled to the side.

"Duck."

And less than a nanosecond later, a group of about twenty girls ran across the hallway, right where Hidan and Deidara were a couple seconds ago.

"Holy shit..." Hidan muttered.

As they passed, they were all yelling something incoherent. And as soon as they were on the other side of the hallway, the large hands with red painted nails were removed from the two first-year's shoulders. They turned around expected a principal or someone like that, but instead, were face-to-face with a grown orange haired man with a bandana on his forehead. The fuck? What kind of dude paints his nails?

"Who the hell are you? I've fucking never seen you before!" Hidan exclaimed, suddenly backing up quickly. Well no shit Sherlock.

"Nice to meet you as well." Pain gave his innocent Pain smile. "My name is Pain. By the way, you're welcome. I just saved both of your lives."

"Pain what? Or what Pain? Is that your fucking last or first name? Shit, just say your entire name," Hidan muttered. "And thanks I guess. That was a fucking ass-tastic fangirl raid."

"That information is classified," another voice sounded. This girl was almost as tall as the orange haired boy, and had blue hair.

"Classified, un?" Deidara asked.

"Yep. He hasn't told _anyone_," she answered. "My name is Konan by the way. Tenshi Konan. I'm his girlfriend."

"Deidara, yeah. Iwakatsu Deidara." Deidara pulled her hand out to shake Konan's and Pain's. "And that's Hidan, un. Kuraji Hidan. And if you want to know, I'm not dating him, un."

"Well, nice to meet you then." Pain smiled.

"Yeah? Well, fuck you!"

"HIDAN, HMM! Don't be an ass!"

"Language for a girl. I guess you don't have any brains to actually thing of any other insults, you brat." This time, a red head entered the school as she was swearing. He actually looked quite beat up with a couple of cuts and scrapes around his body.

"Are you okay, Sasori?" Konan asked worriedly.

"Yeah, the fangirls didn't get me too bad," Sasori answered, wiping imaginary dust from his chest.

"Wait, those were _your_fucking fangirls, jack-ass?" Hidan asked, yelling.

"Yes. And my name is Sasori, not jack-ass, although I would consider you half correct. But it's not like you have any right to call me that, so just call me Akasuna," the boy muttered.

"Well, nice to meet you too, un," Deidara answered with sarcasm. "I'm Iwakatsu Deidara. That's Hidan."

"Quit fucking introducing me, I'm not fucking three years old!" Hidan groaned, returning to his original spot next to Deidara.

"Sure, un. So, do you like art, yeah?" Deidara asked. "You kind of seem like the type to be interested in it."

"OH FUCK."

Hidan looked at Konan and Pain, and they returned the wide-eye stared to him.

"Did you guys just fucking—"

"Yeah," they answered.

Hidan whispered toward them. "She's a fucking psycho bitch when it comes to art. You might want to watch out."  
>"Oh, we had enough of that with Sasori," Konan explained.<p>

Sasori stuck his hands in the pockets of his uniform pants. "Yeah. A lot actually. What about it?"

"Yes, thank Jashin, un! Someone who finally understands the concept of art—the transient, fleeting explosion."

Time stopped, and Konan and Pain looked wide-eyed again.

"Oh shit...why us…"

Sasori closed his eyes. He put up his forefinger. "First, who the hell is Jashin? And second..." he glared at the first-year female. "You have no sense in art if that's what you think is what art is."

"Excuse me, un?" Deidara asked, frowning. She put her hands on her hips.

"Art is obviously the eternal beauty of something. It never rots, never decays. It's left for thousands of years to take in the beauty of."

"What's the point of beauty if it's seen too many times, hmm? It get's boring! Life needs to be spontaneous and different, never a single on to match the moment again, yeah!"

"As if—" "What did you say, hmm?"

Pain and Konan turned to Hidan, and Hidan smirked.

"I think they're going to be fucking good friends."

"_Really_?"

Well, thanks for reading. Remember to review! :D Chapter 2, coming soon~ Right after it's done being edited.


	2. Chapter 2: Clubs

**A/N:** Herro~ Akiho here, back with chapter 2! :D I've been rewriting the chapters, because the ones I wrote before weren't...well, very good. I'll be working on chapter 3 today, so I can post it tomorrow.

If you wanted to know, in the original story, Sasori and Kakuzu just completely despised Deidara and Hidan. But then I thought, well, how the hell is romance going to fit in? So I just made it so they don't completely hate them, but still tease them 'n crap. It's more of just Kakuzu thought, because even in the actual series, Hidan and Kakuzu aren't the best partners. I mean, Deidara and Sasori aren't either, but whatever. X)

**Shoutouts/Appreciations: **Thank you to glitterthorn and soccerlover808 (again) for adding this story to your alerts. It make Akiho happy. :) And personally to glitterthorn: Yeah, my wording was a little off, I saw some mistakes. DX But spelling? Uh oh. *goes to kill Microsoft Word for not picking up my mistakes* - They always pick up the stuff that's unnecessary to pick up. :/

And back to the story! :D Read on~

* * *

><p>Chapter 2: Clubs<p>

Konan hung around with Deidara and Hidan as much as she could that day-they were an interesting duo. Hidan had the bad-ass kind of look, the one that if you pissed him off, he would fling you through seven trees. Not six, not eight, but seven. And yet, he and the innocent looking Deidara were so close.

"What other clubs are you joining, Konan?" Sasori asked, tossing a piece of light red paper into the trash. His voice broke her away from her thoughts.

"Well, I'm not sure yet. They added at least five more clubs since last year I'm sure. And was that another love letter?"

"Yes. I wonder what's going to make them understand that I _really_ don't care. I've even tossed one right into the trash can **right **in front of the girl that gave it to me, and she still hasn't given up! This is so stupid!" Sasori complained, smashing his head into a wall.

"Er...well, first you should get your head off of the wall. Second, why don't we just go take a look at the club lists?" Konan offered.

"I'll willingly go anywhere where there are no fangirls," Sasori grumbled, following Konan toward the club lists down the hall.

When they reached the other side of the hall, they spotted Deidara and Hidan examining the club lists as well. Konan was about to call them, but a different voice spoke up.

"Hey, Konan-chan, Sasori-san!" Oh, Kisame. And Itachi.

"Hi Kisame, Ita-chan."

"Hey."

"Hn."

She noticed that Deidara and Hidan had looked over, because they had heard "Konan" and "Sasori".

Deidara and Hidan guess that the other two were their friends.

"Hi Tenshi-san! Akasuna-kun, un!" Deidara greeted, walking over toward the four.

"Heya, fuckers!" Well, what good does that do to your first impression, Hidan?

"Friends of yours, un?" Deidara asked, glancing at Konan and Sasori then back toward Kisame and Itachi.

"Yeah. Kisame, Ita-chan, this is Deidara-chan and Hidan-kun. And er, Deidara-chan, Hidan-kun, this is Kisame and Ita-chan."

"Nice to meet y'all."

"Hn."

"Tongue tied, yeah?"

"Nah, that's just her catchphrase," Kisame explained. His skin was a sky blue shade, which surprised Deidara and Hidan.

"Umm...not to be rude and all, but..." Deidara fumbled over her words, trying not to insult the very tall blue-skinned man. She gave a small finger point at his skin, well, technically at him.

"Oh, my skin? Birth defect. Did it scare you?"

"Ah. Sorry, yeah. And no, yeah."

"It's fine. Wait—no, or yes?"

"No, un. Sorry 'bout that too, it's kind of turned into a habit, un," Deidara quickly explained.

"So are you guys all fucking here to look at the fucking retarded club lists as well?" Hidan asked.

Itachi finally spoke up. "Do you have Tourette's?"

"Ah, shut up, bitch." Hidan's face twisted into annoyance.

The raven-haired girl came to a conclusion. "Yes. You definitely do."

"But back to your question, Kuraji, yeah, we did," Sasori answered. "Have any of you figured out what clubs you want to be in?"

"I'm doing art, definitely, yeah!" Deidara grinned. "And are you too, Akasuna-kun?"

"Did you come from Mars? I would suspect that you would know the answer to that question after this morning."

"I take that as a yes, hmmm."

"Smart girl."

Deidara lifted her hand up and slightly back to high five the red head. He just awkwardly looked at her. "It's called a high five, yeah..." Deidara explained with a flat look. "Raise your hand..."

"That's...not really my style."

"Oh, sorry, un."

"It's fine."

The six sashayed like little bitches over toward the club lists, determined to find a not-a-fail-of-a-club club.

They read quickly through each club, and Konan was right, there were more clubs than last year.

The list read:

_Coach/Teacher Sponsored Clubs:_

_Art, Band, Boys' Basketball, Girls' Basketball, Baseball,Cheer, Choir, Dance, Drama, Boys' Football, Gymnastics, Karate, Kendo, Literature, Orchestra, Rugby, Shogi, Girls' Soccer, Boys' Soccer, Softball, Swimming, Boys' Tennis, Girls' Tennis, Theatre, Boys' Track, Girls' Track, Girls' Volleyball, Wrestling_

_Student Sponsored Clubs:_

_Akatsuki, Ame, Anime, Computer, Fashion, Iwa, Konoha, Kiri, Knitting, Kumo, Kusa, Makeup, Magazine, Manga, Music, Oto, Sasori Fan Club, Suna, Tea, Uzushio, Writing, Yu_

_Notice: All forms **must** be turned in by March 31 to the corresponding sponsers. Activities and Club meetings will start in April._

Hidan and Deidara's eyes suddenly widened. "The Sasori fan club (un)?" they both yelled.

Sasori rubbed his temples. "The fangirls from this morning are in that club. Gah."

"I feel fucking sorry for you, man," Hidan said, with unnatural sympathy.

"Who's the Tourette's kid?"

They all turned around, specifically Hidan.

"Hey, fuck you!"

"You're only helping me prove a point..."

"Who the hell are you, anyway?" Hidan shouted, pointing.

"That's Kakuzu," Konan said. "He can be a little...well, insensitive. And, oh, Nagato!"

Pain caught his girlfriend in his arms quickly. "Well, eager to see me. Looking for clubs, I presume?"

"Yeah. And then stuff happened when Hidan and Deidara saw the Sasori Fan Club." She made a funny face, and turned back toward Kakuzu.

Hidan and Kakuzu were having a glare off.

"Well...uh..." she stammered, not knowing how to separate the two.

"Idiots," Sasori muttered, pushing the two away from each other. "Kakuzu, this is Kuraji Hidan. Kuraji, this is Kakuzu. Kuroito Kakuzu. And the brat's Iwakatsu Deidara."

"Hey, un! Don't call me that, yeah!" Deidara shot back.

"You _are_ a brat."

"Yeah. Surrrreee, un."

Pain decided to smooth out the situation. "Deidara-chan, Hidan, how would you two want to join the Akatsuki?" he asked.

"Wasn't that a club, yeah?"

Konan nodded. "Yeah, but it needs members approval. Us six are the only members of it at the moment."

"I say no."

"Kakuzu, get that stick out of your ass," Konan shot, suddenly very out of character. The other seven stared at her. "Excuse me."

"Well? Are you all okay with this?" Pain asked.

"If Deidara does not turn into my fangirl, I'm fine," Sasori muttered. ("Hey!")

"If Konan will get her big butt off of me, I will say yes," Kakuzu agreed, getting suffocated by Konan's butt. Somehow, at couple seconds before, Konan had managed to get the stitched-man (who was much taller than her) on the ground at in a position where she could sit comfortably onto him.

Konan just slapped him, and let him go.

"Thank you. Now, yes. But I'm keeping my eye on you, Karuji," Kakuzu growled.

"It's Kuraji! Fucking retard."

"Whatever."

"I don't mind." Kisame smiled.

"Sure..." Itachi whispered.

"Then it's decided! Iwakatsu Deidara, Kuraji Hidan. We hereby declare you two as members of the Akatsuki."


	3. Chapter 3: The title was too long! :0

**A/N: **Umm...uh...I don't really have much to say right now...I guess thanks to glitterthorn again for reviewing? X) But yeah, it makes me happy. :D And thanks to the favorites as well. ;) Er...uh...here's chapter 3?

Oh, wait, I remember! I'm trying to update this everyday, and now I'm editing Chapter 4. I'll be gone for about two or three or four days after chapter five. Or Six. I dunno! :0 I'm leaving for camp on Sunday, but I _might_ be able to update then. Unfortunately, I work on a computer, so it's not like I can bring it to camp, and since it's a cheerleading camp (yeah, not the stereotypical cheerleader), it's not like I could update there anyway. I'm going to be dying while dancing. So, yep. And I come back Wednesday around noon, but I have to go to my cheer lessons after that, so I might be too tired to update. :/

So, yup, here's Chapter 3.

* * *

><p>Chapter 3: Jashinism, being Gay, and Abnormal Photos<p>

*~*~*~After School~*~*~*

"Dei-chan~!"

Deidara and Hidan turned around at the sound of Deidara's nickname that only one female used.

"Hi Konan-chan, un. Pain-kun."

"Hey, bluenette, Pain-in-the-ass."

"Thank you! You called me Konan-chan instead of Tenshi-san! Finally! Ah, and good morning to you as well, Hidan."

Deidara sweat dropped. "It's only been a day since I met you, Konan-chan, yeah."

"A day too long!" Konan answered, putting one hand on her hip. "I called you Dei-chan. It has a better ring to it, Hidan-kun. You were right."

Hidan shrugged and smirked. "When am I fucking not? And Hidan's fucking fine. The 'kun' makes me sound like a pussy."

"Don't push it," Konan warned.

"Sorry."

They exited the enormous peach-colored building that was their school. Shinobi High School. They never quite understood why it was named for ninja. The closest thing they even had to become ninjas was the karate club. Outside, the other four were present, close to a large, shady cherry blossom tree. The pink petals of the tree bloomed elegantly in the rustling wind, and the blowing petals portrayed the school as though the building was a castle. There were many others surrounding the feet of the Akatsuki's companions, as well as the other student of the school. And the glorious sun gave a beautiful glow toward the courtyard. It could probably make the horrific Kakuzu look like an angel.

"Damn, it's a fucking beautiful day!" Hidan cheered, jumping in circles while he punched a fist in the air. "Good morning, motha-fuckas!"

"Someone's in a good mood," Itachi noticed.

Hidan suddenly made an 0 shape with his mouth, and started his speech dramatically. "Oh, no, _Ita-chan_, dear, if you could not see, I am in the worse mood since I fell down into that trench! It is a terrible day, as a matter of fact, and—ah, fuck it, I'm not good at acting."

Everyone ignored Hidan's terrible acting.

"Hey, un." "Hi guys~" "Watsup?"

Everyone except Kisame greeted the other three with a nod. Kisame did a small wave. A small wave with his large hand. Funny.

"Hey, Uchiha-chan, how did you get out faster than us, yeah? You're in Hidan and my class," Deidara asked, suspicious.

"Secret." Itachi kept her eyes closed.

"Club forms are due in a couple of days. Have you guys chosen?" Sasori questioned, arms folded and leaned up against the tree.

"Hey, speaking of which, the author ended chapter two before we could pick our other clubs," Pain pointed out. "I mean, besides the Akatsuki fan club, obviously. So what did you guys decide that we would take?"

Sasori mentally sighed. _Wasn't that practically what I just sa-_

"Art, un! And the Sasori Fan Club, yeah!"

Sasori stopped his train of thought.

"You did not just say that." His voice sounded like venom.

"Just kidding, yeah!" Deidara laughed, smirking at Sasori's serious face.

"Are you kidding me? Stupid brat. And you really think you can join art with that stupid belief that you call art?" Sasori asked, raising an eyebrow. "Art is an forever, something to appreciate for generations to come."

"Really, hmmm? You wanna-"

"No more fighting!" Pain whined. He put his hands on his ears and ran away. "I don't wanna hear this anymore!" The auburn haired immature third-year quickly crawled into another one of his thousands of emo corners, and cried pitifully.

"Nagato, quit being stupid. And by the way, I'm joining literature and girls' tennis," Konan said.

"Soccer and basketball," Pain commented from his spot. "And I'm not being stupid."

"Girls'?" Kakuzu mocked. Pain gave him a flat look from where he was sitting. "Well, I'm doing something more manly—wrestling."

"Psh. Only idiots do that," Sasori butt in. "I'm just taking art like Iwakatsu."

"I'm fucking making my own club! It'll be a Jashinism club!"

"Hidan, un? Really?"

"Who or what now?" Pain asked. Apparently, he was no longer in his emo corner.

Deidara rolled her eyes and sighed. "His _almighty_ death god, un."

"Oh shut up! I know that was fucking sarcasm!" Hidan shot back.

"Tell that to the devil, un."

"Screw you! Are any of you guys Jashinists? Or fucking Christians? Or-"

"We're all atheists here," Kakuzu muttered. "Unless Iwakatsu-san..."

"No, no, yeah. I'm just making fun of Jashinism. I'm one-hundred percent atheist, Kuroito-kun, yeah," Deidara answered, waving her hand in front of her face.

"And I'm one-hundred twenty percent gay!" Hidan yelled.

"..." Pain.

"..." Kakuzu.

"..." Kisame.

"..." Itachi.

"..." Sasori.

"Seriously! Oh my God! That's so cool!" Konan shouted. Aw shit, yaoi fangirl. (And I'm the one saying this...-_-')

"Ahem. Use damn Jashin," Hidan said.

"Oh my _Jashin_? That's so retarded," Kakuzu insulted.

"Fuck you."

"Well, back to the clubs, Itachi-san and I are taking literature and I'm also taking kendo," Kisame quickly put in.

"And of course, we are all in the Akatsuki club," Pain added.

They all gave him a nod or smile of acknowledgement.

"Well, we should probably get going home," Konan said.

CLINK

"Hey, Dei-chan, something fell from your bag," Konan commented, letting go of Pain's hand and picking the object off the floor.

It was made of wood, but when Konan picked it up, she noticed it wasn't just a wood block—it was a photo frame. With a picture in it.

Hidan's eyes widened. "Fuck..." he muttered, looking at Deidara.

Deidara pursed her lips, and looked sadly at the photo frame.

"Dei-chan, who's this?" Konan asked, holding up the picture so Pain could see it as well.

It was a picture of Deidara. But not only of Deidara. Next to her there was a taller brunette male, whose arm was around her shoulders. The others tried to take a peek, but Deidara quickly snatched the picture from Konan's hand harshly.

"No one, un," Deidara muttered. She shook her head.

She shoved the photo frame in her bag and quickly made her way out of the courtyard.

It became quiet, until Hidan let out a long sigh.

"What was that?" Sasori asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Nothin'," Hidan spat, swinging his black bag over his shoulder and stalking off behind Deidara as well.

Konan looked at Pain, both having the most confused expression on their face.

"When someone says it's nothing-"

"It's definitely something," Konan finished.

"SASORI-KUN!"

"Oh shit, there they are again," Hidan mumbled as he heard them on his way out.

"Bye." Sasori quickly uttered, and swiftly walked away from the school so he wouldn't get caught by the members of his fan club.

*~At Kakuzu's House, 5 PM~"

"Thanks for letting me stay over. Damn fangirls."

"It's fine. Tea?"

"No thanks."

"Hot chocolate?"

"Kakuzu, shut up."

"Okay, okay, Sasori, don't get your panties in a knot."

"I wear freaking BOXERS."

"That's nice to know."

"Screw you."

"Back at you. Cheese?"

"Yes. Thank you."

Sasori took a small piece off the tray, and popped it in my mouth.

"So, why am I here again? Besides running away from the fangirls, obviously. You said something about—"

Kakuzu sighed and frowned. "Discuss our thoughts on the newbies who are going to become our partners, I guess."

Sasori plopped down on Kakuzu dusty old couch. A dusty bunny was destroyed when Sasori kicked it, but there were about a thousand more. "Kakuzu, this place is disgusting. It's a pig's nest."

"It's just cheap. And I don't think pigs have nests."

"And disgusting. And shut up."

"Speaking of disgusting, about Kuraji's religion..."

"What about it?"

Kakuzu fell down on his couch as well, opposite end of Sasori, taking a drink from a water bottle. "Well, he told me it's called Jashinism, and you kill anything, or inflict damage to yourself. That's how it works."

"I think we need to send Kuraji into an asylum?" Sasori offered.

"Probably. Also, I kind of also noted that they were really different. They, being our new partners. How could they even be friends?"

"Kuraji told me, after Deidara stomped out of the school, that she was rather a sadistic arsonist. Of course, I thought he was lying, but if that's true, then I could understand why they are close. Kuraji's a sadomasochist."

"That could explain his religion a little bit. But honestly, what do you think of Kuraji and Iwakatsu?"

"Kuraji's stupid. Very stupid. His name might mean dark death, but I swear, instead of killing someone at night—_**he's**__ the one who's going to get killed at night_. Probably like midnight. I don't know. Or probably hit his nuts on a pole," Sasori smirked at the last part, and watched Kakuzu chuckle as he put on his black mouth mask.

"What about Iwakatsu?"

"I think Deidara-chan's cute. But as long as she thinks about art that way, no way in hell would I ever like her. She's to prideful about that crap anyway."

"Yeah. And you just _admitted_ that she was cute. You don't have to lie to me—wait, did you just call her 'Deidara-chan'?" Kakuzu suddenly noticed.

"That...slipped. Tell her and you die," Sasori warned.

"Yeah. Sure. Whatever," Kakuzu grumbled.

"Asshole. Now what about you?"

"I agree with you on Kuraji's part. He is quite stupid, and definitely has Tourette's. But I disagree with Iwakatsu. I'm kind of fumbled with what happened with that photo. Kind of seems like she and Kuraji's hiding something."

"I can't blame them. I wouldn't be so comfortable when some bluenette's following me everywhere I go."

Kakuzu shrugged. "I just think something's fishy, Sasori."

"That's Kisame."

"Ah, right."


	4. Chapter 4: Confession

**A/N: **I've been listening to so much rock music lately, excluding Taylor Swift. I'll always listen to her and her pop country music, because she is an amazing music artist. Mostly I've been listening to 30 Seconds to Mars and Panic! At the Disco. But for about half a year, my favorite band has always been Faber Drive. It's a Canadian band, and it's not too popular, but they have _really _good rock music. It's like, super beautiful. I swear, all of their music video's have made me cry. :) And I'm listening to "Sleepless Nights" which is supposed to be about a dad who's abusing the mother, and the kid's thinking that he's "screwing up the best thing ever, is something you'll regret forever".

So, uh, mood changing, I'm going to watch the rest of that video now, and why don't you go ahead and read this chapter. AAAHH, hands are shaking from the video! Okay, later!

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><p>Chapter 4: When Love is Stronger than Friendship<p>

_April 2__nd__..._

"God, man, you look horrible!" Hidan exclaimed, staring at Kisame. His face was shoved into a tree by his partner, Kakuzu.

"'the fuck, man?" Hidan shot back, ripping his head from the tree.

"Quit being rude."

"Ah, fuck you."

"Anyway, what _is_ the matter Kisame? You haven't look so down since you found out that Santa Clause didn't exist," Pain asked worriedly.

Kisame looked at Pain with a flat look, which to the group besides Hidan and Deidara was uncommon. "What's with me and this mood? Just forget it," he replied coldly. Again, abnormal.

Sasori shoved his hands in his pockets. _It's really easy to tell when he's upset or anxious, since he's becomes so apathetic..._The red head let out a long sigh.

"Hey, Dei-chan, where's my present?" Hidan suddenly made a large outburst.

"For what?" Konan questioned, folding her arms over her black school bag strap that was decorated with a few pins and a Minnie Mouse keychain with her everyday polka-dotted red and black dress.

"For my fucking birthday!" Hidan grinned. "It's today!"

He saw a few heads turn. "Woah, woah, woah. You didn't even tell us that," Pain pointed out.

"He knows, un. He just didn't want to be a bug to you guys—"

"Shut up bitch! Give me my present!" Hidan interrupted.

"Fine, fine, un. Such a tsundere." Deidara took a wrapped package out of her backpack, intently being stared at by the other Akatsuki members.

It was a rectangle shape, about 25 centimeters wide and thirty centimeters wide. It was wrapped in scarlet wrapping paper, with a white bow.

"Well, happy birthday, my best friend bastard, yeah," Deidara said, smiling.

"Well, fucking thanks, my pyromaniac artistic best friend."

The Akatsuki gathered around to see what Deidara had got him. Hidan pulled the ribbon, letting it fall to the ground.

"But seriously, you could've told us. We would've gotten you something. It's not that big a deal."

Hidan ignored Kisame, was about to tear the paper, but hesitated. He was deciding whether to just tear and abolish the red paper, or try to pull it off without damaging it. He decided the former.

"Oh, c'mon, open it, Hidan-kun!" Konan ordered, waving her hands.

He shrugged and started destroying the paper, and under the blood red cover off revealed a green colored box with white swirls. Hidan opened the box with two fingers on the hand he wasn't holding the box with, and he gawked at the black cone shaped black item, that had no point where it should be.

"What the hell?" he asked.

Deidara rolled her eyes and sighed. "Look," she put forth, grabbing the black item. "Back up." She cautions the Akatsuki members a second before she held the item above her shoulder and almost threw it at the ground. It stopped before it the ground, and the other two parts of the spear came out.

"A retractable spear?" Sasori inquired, examining the object.

"Yeah, un. And Hidan, this wasn't cheap, so you better be happy, yeah!"

"Haha, thanks bitch!" Hidan laughed, giving his friend a hug. "Now, time to go-" He ran toward the school with his new belonging, but was stopped by Deidara's voice.

"Don't kill anyone with that, yeah!"

"Ah, don't fucking bitch about it!" Hidan called back, jumping into the school.

"Somehow, that just made me worry even more..." Kakuzu muttered, shaking his head.

"Awh, someone has a soft spot for Hidan," Konan teased, poking the taller man in the chest.

"Awh, _stop it_," Kakuzu ordered, the first part of the sentence soft like Konan's voice, but immediately turning into a cold voice.

"Awh, fine. Hey let's go, to make sure Hidan doesn't go start a massacre. It'll be like 'the day after April-fools masacre' or something like that," Konan suggested.

In the two weeks they had gotten to know Hidan, they already knew he was a blood-thirsty (not a vampire) sadomasochist. It wasn't that easy to tell, since Hidan threatened to (and almost did) kill a guy for calling him a fag. He had beat the shit out of him though. When the guy didn't mess with Hidan anymore, Deidara gave an innocent look at Hidan, and sarcastically thought out loud, "I wonder why he doesn't try to be mean to you anymore, un."

Yeah, hehe, funny you should ask Deidara. Nope, not at all.

"Hey, what's that book, Konan?" Pain asked, pointing toward the book that Konan held in her right hand across her chest. Weird had no one else noticed.

"Oh, this? This is actually for Dei-chan. Here." Konan passed the book to Deidara, and everyone else looked at the cover.

Sasori, and Kakuzu struggled not to start laughing, and Pain and Kisame just went ahead. Deidara blushed. Too bad Hidan wasn't here. (He had gone off to do...well, er, something...hopefully not killing people.) He would've been dying of laughter.

"Ko-Konan-chan! But, this is!" Deidara complained, showing her the cover.

Oh, you want to know what the cover said? Well, I'm not telling you!

Just kidding.

_Physiological Tests of Sex and More_

"What the hell, un?" Deidara cried. "I don't need this, yeah!"

"Yeah, sure, you definitely need it, sweetie."

"Why?"

"I need to corrupt you a little. You're too sweet and innocent."

Deidara punched Konan lightly in the jaw and quickly stomped of into the school.

"Aw, c'mon, Dei-chan!" Konan called, running after her.

"Get away from me, uuuuuuunnnnn!" Deidara shouted back, obviously embarrassed. "I'M EDUCATED, THANK YOU VERY MUCH."

"Ow," Pain winced, holding his stomach from laughter. "That was...quite interesting."

"Why does Konan even have that book?" Sasori questioned. His face was a little red, probably from struggling not to even let out the slightest of laughs.

"Simple," Itachi stated.

"Wait...are you saying?" Kakuzu's brain clicked, and so did Sasori's.

"Huh, wait, whaaaatt?" Pain complained, not understanding what Itachi wanted to say was.

Kisame stayed quiet, apparently his happy mood washed away again. Itachi glanced over at him, and whispered loud enough for them to hear,

"Konan's have sex with Pain."

Kakuzu and Sasori ran away, a disgusting image burned into their heads. Poor them, yet so out of character. Pain stayed wide eyed and slowly walked away, avoiding Itachi's gaze the entire time.

"Well, I guess we better go too, eh, Itachi-san?" Kisame asked.

"No."

Kisame looked over toward his friend. "But Itachi-san, we'll be late," he protested.

"I don't care. Just tell me," the raven-haired girl demanded, scooting closer to the blue-skinned second-year.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," Kisame tried. But it didn't work. Itachi was the queen of seeing through lies, and Kisame was the king of failing at lies. He also knew Itachi wouldn't let him go until he told her something.

"Yeah, you say that all the time. Now, what's bothering you?" she asked, staring up at the much taller man.

Kisame sighed. "I told you, it's nothing."

Itachi glared at him, all of a sudden, calm, stoic black eyes changing to a death-striking crimson. "I know when you're lying, shark-bait," she hissed, using his nickname that he didn't quite enjoy.

"Okay, okay Itachi-san!" Kisame surrendered, lifting his hands, palms facing the first-year girl. "I'll tell you."

Itachi stared at him a moment, then her eyes turned back the original color. "Thank you." Kisame fidgeted.

"Okay, so, the thing is..." Kisame didn't know how to word what he was going to say next. "I have this girl I like."

It was his best friend, give this a shot.

"Uh huh," Itachi said, nonchalantly.

Kisame mentally sighed. _Well, I should have known Itachi wouldn't feel close to what I felt. Well, since I already started, there's no backing down now..._

"I might be able to guess who she is."

"Really? Well, then, to narrow it down, she's a first year."

"You sure she's a girl?" Itachi asked, mocking Kisame's sexual orientation. Kisame was not pleased.

"_Anyway_, she's pretty stoic, and I've never really seen her be crazy or anything. But that's fine with me. She takes chances, but is cautious with everything. She's smart, beautiful, and although she denies it, does have a soft side to her. She makes me smile, she makes me annoyed, and she makes me sad."

"Sounds like you two are pretty close. Let's see...Oh, is it Tsubata Natsuho?"

Kisame raised an eyebrow. "Who now?" he asked.

"That girl in science—oh never, mind, I guess I was mistaken."

Kisame bit his tongue. Itachi had it all wrong.

"Well, who it is doesn't matter. I want to ask her out, but how should I? That's what I really want to know. I mean, how would you want to be asked out?"

Itachi stared at him thoughtfully. "Well," she started, tilting her head to the side. "I actually don't mind how they do it. Except if it's over e-mail or text or online or something like that. If it's not that, then I would mind at all. I just kind of want a passageway to that person's heart, so I can understand that they really like me, and it's not some sort of stupid joke, because I'm the one who's going to get hurt in the end. I think any girl feels the same."

The ebony-haired girl smiled up at Kisame.

"O-oh...okay..."

Kisame made up his mind. "Well, um, about this girl...well, I think she's insecure, but she covers it up with her personality. But I like how she is good with sarcasm and insults, but can be a great person at the same time."

"Just tell me who it is already. I don't want to play games anymore."

Itachi's voice sounded different. _Itachi?_ Kisame sighed. "Well, this...this beautiful, wonderful, amazing person is..."

Itachi turned away. "Who Kisame...who?"

Kisame took a large breath in.

"It's you, Itachi."


	5. Chapter 5: Question and Answer

**A/N: **...so this was supposed to be up about five hours ago. I just had to create my gifts for cheerleading camp, which I will be going starting tomorrow, and I will be gone for about three days. I come back Wednesday noon, so I will try to update then, and maybe tomorrow morning too. ;) To make it up to you guys, I will see if I can post another chapter tonight.

Enjoy! :D

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><p>Chapter 5: Q and A<p>

_Oh my god, please, anyone tell me I just did not do that,_ Kisame thought, shutting his eyes tight enough for his eyelids started to hurt. His face went purple, well, since blue+red=purple. Twenty-seconds later, he cracked an eyelid open, noticing Itachi's lack of response. "I-Itachi-san...?"

"So...you want to go out?" Itachi asked.

Kisame wanted to go punch a brick wall. _Yes, I want to go out, Ita-chan! Why would I tell you I like you if I didn't want to? I mean, I know the author hasn't given out any hints that I like you, but __**still**__! Urgh, but you're so adorable when you're clueless!_

"Uh yeah..." Kisame's response was so much different in his brain.

"Okay then," Itachi answered, smiling. "Let's go out."

Kisame could of died right there from joy.

~*~*~After School~*~*~

"Oh my god! Please don't be kidding! Really? Seriously?"

Konan jumped up and down at the news. Itachi and Kisame nodded. "No, not kidding."

The older girl squealed and glomped her boyfriend. "I can't believe it! This means we're not the only couple of the Akatsuki anymore!"

"What's going on, un?" Deidara asked, coming out of the school, followed by Hidan. Konan grinned at the duo. "Kisame and Itachi are a couple!" she cried, dancing in a circle.

"Really? Congratulations, Kisame-kun and Itachi-chan, un."

"Thank you Deidara-san," Itachi answered. Kisame smiled in reply, getting a smile out of the blonde as well.

Lastly, Kakuzu and Sasori followed out of the school. "What's this I hear about love? I can't definitely feel it in the air," Kakuzu muttered, as Sasori popped a floating awkward heart.

"Kisame and Itachi are a couple, damn!" Hidan answered, getting a glare from Kakuzu.

"Ah. Uh, congratulations?" Sasori said, not very familiar with love situations.

"Oh, Itachi! You have to tell me everything~" Konan said, grabbing the younger's arm.

"Maybe later..." Itachi taunted, smirking.

"Mmm! You're so mean toward you upperclasswoman!" the bluenette complained.

"Upperclasswoman, un?" "Yeah! Got a problem?" "Not exactly, yeah..." "Haha, well, Itachi, you're coming over!" Konan pulled Itachi's arm, and her boyfriend quickly followed.

"Later guys," Pain said, taking a glance back a waving. The rest waved back and had all eyes on the struggling Itachi. Poor girl. She would never get out of Konan's iron grip (which only seemed to only be there when she was mad or in her fangirl side).

Five sweat drops later, Kisame let out an awkward cough, and started talking.

"Well...uh...since I don't have my girlfriend now, and I don't think I'll get her back for about a day, I'm just going to go home. Bye," He smiled at everyone and started toward home. His house was a good 15 minute walking distance—not far at all.

"Bye Kisame." "Later." "Buh bye fishy!" "See you, un."

"So, should we go home too, yeah?" Deidara asked the remaining three, not including herself.

"Why am I always stuck with _you_?" Kakuzu sputtered, folding his arms.

"Well, if it isn't oh-so-fucking-obvious, I don't like being in this situation either!" Hidan shot back, glaring at the taller third-year.

"Uh..." Deidara wasn't sure what to say.

"They're not getting along very well," Sasori stated, shrugging.

The blonde gave him a flat look. "_No, really_, un?"

In two seconds, Hidan's hand drew a fist and thrust it toward the stitched teenager. "I've had enough of you, you fucking bastard!" he yelled, but his hand was caught by the opponent. Deidara didn't even try to stop the fight, and nor did Sasori.

"I might be a 'fucking bastard', at least I can properly fight," Kakuzu snarled, grasping Hidan's wrist, and flipping him onto his back. Before Hidan could break his vertebrae on the pavement, he swung his legs under him, landing safely, but painfully on the ground.

"Fuck! Fuck this fucking retarded shit!" Hidan cried, not being able to take Kakuzu anymore.

"Fine. Then go. I have to go home anyway," Kakuzu said, walking away. "My house isn't very far from here."

Hidan glared holes into Kakuzu's back as he left. Still annoyed, he grabbed Deidara's arms and huffed, "Dammit, Dei! We're going home!"

Deidara snapped out of it, and caught up to Hidan's pace.

"Bye, Akasuna-kun, yeah..." Deidara waved goodbye.

"Later."

"Fuckin' bitch, get your ass here!"

* * *

><p>Kakuzu walked home quietly, chuckling to himself. He continued walking, the sounds of his footsteps leading up a flight of stairs.<p>

"Maybe I should lighten up...all this anger toward my parents abandoning me is getting to my head."

The quiet patting of his footsteps went down the stairs, and he opened his front door again.

"Time for work..."

* * *

><p>Sasori tore his book out of his bag, surprising a couple of passengers on the train with the noise. He also heard two familiar voices.<p>

"Dammit, no seats to sit in!"

"Hidan, who cares if we have to stand, yeah?"

"Well I do!"

"Just come o—" Deidara stopped, spotting Sasori.

"What, what? Why'd you sto—Oh. Hello, bitch bag."

"Hello Kuraji. Hello Iwakatsu. Would you like to sit?" Sasori offered.

"Yes, please, un."

"Fuck, give me that fat-ass seat."

The train ride home consisted of Sasori starting to get annoyed by Hidan, and two artist arguing about the true meaning of art.

After Hidan had gotten off, Deidara and Sasori continued with their argument.

"Give me five good reasons why art is fleeting, Iwakatsu," Sasori grunted.

"One," Deidara held up a finger. "It's beautiful. Two," she held up another finger. "It's beautiful. Three, it's beautiful. Four, it's beautiful, and five—"

"Okay, okay, I get it. Rephrasing that question, give me five good _different _reasons why art is fleeting."  
>"I'm not answering that question for my own health, un," Deidara replied, shaking her head.<p>

"Think I'm going to beat you up?"

"Possibly, yeah."

The doors on the train opened. "I'm getting off here, un," Deidara said. "I'll see you later—"

"I get off here too."

Deidara proceeded Sasori off the train. "I wonder why I haven't seen you get off here before, yeah. Where do you live specifically?"

"Are you trying to stalk me?" Sasori asked, giving Deidara a blank look as they shuffled down the stairs full of many students. Blue sailor uniforms, brown pants—there was a large variety of the uniforms.

Shinobi High was no different, just another school with another uniform. As to use Deidara and Sasori as examples here, the girls' uniform for Shinobi High consisted of a grey skirt with a checkered/plaid looking pattern with black, red, and white lines. (This is actually what mine looks like. I don't have a uniform at my school, I just bought it in Japan.) The shirt was just a collared shirt with six buttons and a breast pocket on the left side, ending on the higher side of the heart. The school also had a pink shirt for girls' but Deidara didn't wear it. Deidara also wore the school's black jacket, which was closed, but the red ribbon underneath was still visible from the front. The guys' had a much simpler uniform that consisted of a dark-colored tie with white, red, and gold lines, the white collared shirt (with the breast pocket), black slacks, and the jacket.

And to any girl of the Sasori fan club, Sasori looked hotter without the jacket than with it. Sasori didn't wear the jacket, but the fact above was obviously not the reason why. He had said that it was hot, and that he would refuse to wear something so uncomfortable.

So, back to their conversation,

"Nah, just wondering, yeah."

They walked the wide halls of the train station, out of the entrance, and toward the rock pavement of the streets.

Deidara spotted an old woman stood next to one of the seats, looking quite fidgety. She wondered if the elder was waiting for someone. Then, she looked toward the two teens. Her mouth opened, and Deidara knew she was about to speak to them. Wait, wha-

"Sasori...is it you?"

Sasori's eyes suddenly widened, and immediately stopped. He recognized that voice...a very, very familiar voice. He glanced at the old lady, and slowly clenching and unclenching his fists, glared at her, and turned away.

"Sasori...! I-"

"Save it," the redhead growled. Before the elder could say anything else, Sasori harshly grabbed Deidara's arm, pulling them away until the old lady was no where near sight.

"Akasuna-kun...?" Deidara asked, rubbing her arm when Sasori finally took his iron grip off of it. Geez, why had he grabbed so hard? There was already a bruise there.

Sasori looked at the ground, bangs covering his face. He suddenly snapped out of it, and shook his head. "It's...nothing..." he muttered, still looking down. "Let's...go, brat."

Deidara was quiet for a moment, which surprised and calmed Sasori. It was surprising how the normally talkative and nosy girl didn't start throwing questions and making assumptions, but that was also what helped him calm down.

Cautiously, Deidara looked at Sasori, and asked,

"Who was that, un?"

Sasori swallowed, and closed his eyes, replying, "My grandmother."

Deidara quirked an eyebrow. "Why did you get away from her, yeah?"

"I hate her."

Deidara was surprised how quickly Sasori answered that. She asked one more thing that boggled her mind.

"Why don't you like her?"

Sasori stayed silent, his eyes once again hidden by his bangs.

Deidara looked at Sasori, and looked forward, wondering why. She shook her head, noting that it wasn't her duty to pull it out of him—he didn't know of her secrets anyway, so there was no need to try to barge into his.

The two continued to walk home in an uncomfortable silence.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **And if you wanted to ask, yes that's Chiyo. ;)


	6. Chapter 6: Pain

**A/N: **So, two chapters in one day! Here it is. This can actually be a really confusing chapter depending on who you are, especially with Deidara and Hidan. What the deal is is a secret at the moment. And by the way, the Chapter Title "Pain" doesn't mean, like, Nagato, but like, the emotion/feeling.

Oh, and a quick request from Akiho. Since a lot of you guys bother to favorite and put this story on your alert list, could you review as well? Sure, it makes me happy that you put this on your alert list, but it makes Akiho even happier when she gets reviews. Critisism is accepted, and I will like it. :D Well, but still. Please do review. It makes Akiho a happier girl. 3

* * *

><p>Chapter 6: Pain<p>

May 5th…

Hidan licked the strawberry jelly covered forefingers and thumbs, er, well, hopefully it _was_ strawberry jelly and not blood. He stood up, grabbing his small, white plate and walked toward the dishwasher. He opened it with his right hand (which made the handle sticky), and slid the plate in. Leaning toward the side, he also washed his hands in the kitchen sink, and dried them by wiping them on his school slacks.

"Alright then! Time to fuck school up!" he announced to no one in particular, and hopped over toward his black bag. Next to it lay a green box wrapped in a black ribbon. He picked that up as well, and gingerly pushed it into his bag.

Hidan pulled the bag over his head, and checked the clock as he was about to open the front door. It read 7:15. He was okay. Strangely, Hidan was worried about the time, since he had woken up at 7, not his usual 6:30. He barely had anytime to set his hair before he had to go. Not wasting another minute, Hidan exited the house.

His feet patted in the general direction of the train station that he used to get to school. Hidan was more ecstatic than usual, and he knew why. Sure it was, boys'/children's' day or whatever, but it was also his best friend's birthday. The silver-haired 16 year old raced himself toward the station in a hurry, although it didn't really matter, because his ride was still at 7:30.

Once he arrived, he pulled a small card from his wallet, and slipped it through the small, thin opening in the entrance machine. The red pads connected to the machine opened, letting him go through. He headed toward the seventh platform, going up the wide stairs. He just noticed he would rather take the escalator. Oh well. It wouldn't make time go any faster.

On his way up the stairs, a middle-age bearded man almost knocked him over. Usually, Hidan would have shot some colorful words at the idiot who dared bump into him, but today he was way too excited to be bothered.

Hidan checked his watch again. 7:28. It immediately turned 7:29, as though it sped up to not keep him waiting.

Hidan turned his head, catching glances of other students from other schools.

"In one minute, the train will be arriving!" the blue suited, blue hat-man declared, cupping his hands over his mouth.

Hidan was impatiently waiting for one minute. His almost-perfect hair started rustling in the wind as he heard the train approaching.

When the doors of the green train opened, Hidan rushed into the train, searching for his best friend, and well, he guessed, Sasori.

He opened two more doors, running through two compartment…things. But what he was met with was not more joy, but surprise.

"Sasori!" Hidan yelled. He had gotten used to calling the Akasuna by his first name now. "Where the hell's Dei-chan?"

Sasori put a finger to his lips. Just as Hidan had suspected, people were now staring at him.

"Whatcha looking at, bitches?" Hidan hissed. Everyone looked away, some surprised by the younger's language.

"Now where the hell's Dei-chan?" Hidan asked again, sitting next to Sasori. "Isn't she supposed to get on the same fucking place as you?"

"I haven't seen her at all. Usually we meet up at 7:05 on the platform. I thought it was abnormal," Sasori explained. Not that what he said was actually _helpful_.

Hidan was determined to take his phone out, and call her, but he was above talking on his phone in the train. (1)

"Cht. Jashin dammit. We better fucking call her when we get to school," Hidan muttered, his good mood now completely gone.

"Yeah. I don't understand what made her miss her birthday to school. Unless she did something stupid like making missing school her birthday present. She should already know the Akatsuki actually got gifts for her," Sasori answered.

But that wasn't what Hidan was worried about.

The ride to school was a long, uncomfortable ride. If he wasn't so worried about Deidara, Hidan would've been trying to convert Sasori to Jashinism.

Unfortunately for him, he was way out of reality thinking of his best friend. The only reason for Deidara to be gone, and not on the train in the morning would be-

_No. Don't think that, jackass. Don't let yourself think that, Hidan._

But Hidan knew it was most likely true.

"Hidan."

The silver-haired teen popped back into reality as his head was thumped.

"Ow! Fucking bitch!"

"I'm not a girl."

"Well, that's asstastic."

"School. We got to get off," Sasori muttered.

"Okay, okay, don't get your panties in a-"

"Don't say it." The red head already had to go through a round of that with Kakuzu.

Sasori pulled Hidan off of the seat, and dragged the albino off of the train. However, even then, Hidan couldn't focus on anything right now, except his best friend. Sasori ignored him, that was until he heard a loud-

THUD

The red head turned around to see Hidan with his head in a pole.

"**Hidan**."

Hidan pulled his face out off of the pole. Embarrassing.

"What's bothering you?" Sasori asked. Hidan wasn't sure if it was true sympathy. "I'm actually bothering to ask."

Yeah, that made him feel _so_ much better.

"It's fucking fine man. I think I just got paranoid."

Sasori stared at Hidan for about ten seconds, looking unconvinced. But he gave up, and nodded, continuing to walk out of the train station.

"Well then, let's go."

Hidan trudged slowly behind Sasori, but managed to go fast enough to keep up with him.

When they arrived at school, the rest of the Akatsuki were there, looking happy, but their faces immediately turned into surprise as Hidan's did when they could not see Deidara.

"Where's Dei-chan?" Konan asked, worried.

"We don't know," Sasori admitted. "Hidan, call her."

"I fucking know, you fucking jackass," Hidan shot, practically ripping out his cell phone from his bag.

He shifted through his contacts, stopping at Deidara's name. He could've easily dialed it, but he was kind of lazy. Pressing the "call" on his iPhone, he determinedly put the phone to his ear.

_She better pick up…_

Hidan became more impatient with each passing ring of the phone, wanting to smash the small device.

"Well?" Kakuzu mumbled.

"I'm fucking getting on it!" Hidan yelled, much louder than he thought. Kakuzu was slightly surprised, and so was everyone else.

The phone rang about two more times, and Hidan almost jumped a mile up when he heard _the _voice.

"H-Hi…Hidan, yeah?"

Deidara's voice sounded hoarse and raspy.

"Dei-chan! What the hell? We were worried!" Konan shouted, taking the phone away from Hidan's ear.

"I…I was sick…" Deidara muttered, coughing.

"Gimme that!" Hidan cried, snatching his phone back. Pressing the phone back onto his ear, he tried to shoo the Akatsuki away.

They looked confused (and slightly angered), but they followed his silent orders, not understanding why he didn't want them around.

When Hidan was sure they were no longer near him, he began talking into the phone again.

"Dude, did it happen again?" Hidan demanded, his eyes narrowing.

"Y-Yeah…"

"Fucking best birthday present…" he muttered.

"Heh…" Hidan swore he could see the small smirk on Deidara's face.

"What the hell are we going to do?" Hidan quietly asked, his temper actually flaring inside of him.

"I…don't…know. But he knows that you know…" Deidara whispered.

"Where's he now?"

"At work…I can come to scho-"

"Bitch! You aren't in any position to get to school by how you sound! I'm going over there on the weekend! How bad is it?"

"I think my right ankle's twisted, un. That's the only major thing…"

"Major? This entire thing is major!" Hidan yelled.

"Just…yeah, tell them I'm sick. It's not too bad, hmmm."

"…Guh, fine. Here, look, just, take care of your fucking self."

"Yeah. Bye Hidan."

"Later Dei-chan."

Hidan ended the call, and put his phone back into his bag. He searched for the Akatsuki, and spotted them at the same cherry blossom tree as before.

"Hidan! What the hell was that about?" Konan demanded. "Why'd you tell us to go away?"

Hidan had one second to make up a lie. And a good one too. "She just didn't want anyone to hear her." Technically, it wasn't really a lie, but that sentence would probably cause some trouble later. But Hidan couldn't be worried about it right now.

"Whaaaat? That's so messed up! Anyway, what did Dei-chan say?"

"She told me that she isn't coming tomorrow. Her throat hurts a lot, that's why her voice was really messed up."

"Does she have a cold or something?" Sasori asked.

"No shit, jackass!"

"Well, sorry."

"Maybe we can visit her later. For now let's just get into school," Kisame said.

"Okay."

* * *

><p>Deidara snapped the top part of her phone to the bottom. She coughed, and more blood dripped from the corners of her mouth."Gah…"<p>

She wiped the crimson liquid away, and clutched at her stomach. "Man got me well…" Her eyes watered at the pain, but not the external and internal pain on and in her body. "Ah…" Deidara put her face into her blood-stained pillow, and began to sob. It was terribly painful to be hurt like this, but…

It hurt so much more to not be able to tell the truth to her friends.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **You're probably wondering "WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO DEIDARA. WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO." Either that, or I'm just really paranoid. ;) You'll know why Deidara's bleeding and all that shit. Okay, bye bye! Hopefully I can upload one last chapter tomorrow morning before I head off to camp. But if I can't, I'll see y'all soon! :D


	7. Chapter 7: McDonalds

**A/N: **Oh my Jashin. I'm back. I feel like it's been forever. I have so much to talk about right now, so I'm just jumping into it. You can skip to the story if you want. X)

1. Cheer camp was fun, but I am extremely tired and sore right now. We cheered about eight to ten hours a day, and it was crazy. My first day was interesting, and we learned the NCA cheer and two chants. My roomie was a sevvie (seventh grader) who I've known for about a year, and we were the only ones who roomed together who were in different grades. X3 We finished our first performance with a red excellent ribbon (the second best ribbon), then today, we received two blue superiors (the best! :D) for our evaluation. Another thing, I got nominated for the All American NCA team, but I didn't actually make it in. :/ Oh well. Try again on my freshman year. I ache just to lift my right arm up, because my back/shoulder's messed up, and then, I got to go to tumbling classes this afternoon. I couldn't even do one backhand spring on the floor without landing funny. The reason I'm aching is probably because of stunts, where I'm a base (one of the two people who lift the flyer up) and we did an extension (where we lift not to our boobs, but above our heads), and that takes a crap load of effort, considering we're middle schoolers. So, that's enough about cheer.

2. I got my first pair of VANS today! :D They're checkered black and white. And they're for guys. XDDD

3. I'm tired, it's almost twelve am here (aka tomorrow) and I'm about to fall asleep. But I have to wait for my sheets to dry. *sighs* *Just yawned* We slept at 11 at cheer camp and had to wake up around 6. Seven hours of sleep do not work for me, even if I'm not cheering. I almost fell asleep on the couch I was sitting on at Kohl's today next to my mom while my sister was in the dressing rooms. (That's where I got my VANS too.)

4. Okay, so if you've read until here, thank you. This is kind of a lazy chapter, because I wrote it half asleep. Tell me if you spot any errors, and I'll fix them ASAP.

So, here's Chapter 7! Don't worry, I'll still do my best to update everyday. I am about a fourth way done of the story too! Hooray! That's a record! I know. Sad.

* * *

><p>Chapter 7: McDonalds<p>

One month later...

One week ago, Deidara had been able to get the cast off, and it took only two days for her to fully recover again from her ankle. She had found out that it wasn't twisted, but sprained to a second degree.

"Gah, I'm still stiff..." Deidara muttered, making circles with her right foot.

"Well, if you would've just stretched a little while it was still sprained, you wouldn't be so stiff now," Itachi replied.

Deidara shot her friend a flat look. She wished Itachi would quit throwing smart remarks at her.

"Whatever, un. Hey, isn't your birthday soon, yeah?" (A/N: I'm sorry for so many birthdays! But I just like monthly time skips! :O) Deidara asked.

"Yeah. Today's the second, right? It's in a week."

"Well, er, do you want a fucking present?" Hidan questioned, taking a bite of his rice.

Itachi shrugged. "Probably."

"Fine, fine, we'll get you your fucking presents."

"Er, thank you?" Itachi wasn't sure whether to feel insulted or grateful. She went with both.

"Well, what do you want, weasel, un?" Deidara directed, using the nickname for the raven-head she knew that the other did not enjoy. "We don't exactly know...well, what you like, yeah."

"Just...don't get me steak. Or you _will _die," Itachi threatened, her eyes flaring red.

"Okay, okay, you know what? I'm just going to get you a life time supply of dango, un," Deidara asserted, putting her hands up in defeat.

Itachi's eyes lit up, and Hidan looked scarred after glancing at Itachi.

"I-I-Itachi, dude, never fucking do that _ever_ again. Scared the shit out of me," Hidan retorted, looking quite disgusted. Seeing Itachi showing happy emotions was...creepy at times.

"Literally?" Itachi inquired. She was smart, but she kind of lacked some common sense in some areas. (1)

"Yes, fucking literally!" Hidan shouted sarcastically. God, really?

Itachi caught on and frowned, and the first years all went back to eating their lunch and discussing what was wrong with the Sasori fanclub.

~*~*~After School~*~*~

"Hey! Who wants to go around somewhere today?" Konan asked.

Everyone was gathered at the usual cherry blossom tree. The flowers were a darker pink that usual, and the ground wasn't covered in as many petals as two months ago, so the grassy ground was visible.

"Where?" Kisame asked. "It depends."

"Well, where do you want to go?"

"I can't go," Kakuzu said. "I have work."

"Aw, c'mon. Lighten up, you little mother fucker!"

"Go die in a ditch. I'm going, see you all later."

And Kakuzu walked off with that.

"He's so fucking money-obsessed. I swear, he's a whore for money. He probably has some money disorder. Next thing we know, he'll have no fucking girl to fucking fuck, he's going to be fucking his mon-"

"BAD IMAGE!" Kisame and Deidara yelled.

On top of that, he was greeted with two blank stares from Sasori and Itachi. "_You're _saying he has a _disorder_?"

"Fuck yes."

"You seriously have some mental issues."

"I know, jack-ass, I know."

"Okay, we went through this at least twice. My name is not jackass, my name is Sa-"

"Put a cap on it bitch."

"..." Sasori really didn't want to go through another stupid argument with Hidan. Arrogant bastard.

"Er...so, where do you guys want to go?" Konan asked again.

"Dunno."

"This seriously is going _anywhere_."

"Well, then, you pick."

Konan shook her head and sighed. "Let's just go downtown. Maybe we'll find something there. All of you have money?"

"I have ten yen."

"**HIDAN!"**

"Bitches..."

~*~*~To Downtown!~*~*~

7 pairs of feet patted down the pavement as the high school students sauntered on the sidewalk of the streets. A few other students were on the path as well, either going home, or with the same objective as the 7 Akatsukians.

"I haven't come down here before, yeah," Deidara admitted.

"We come here sometimes," Konan said. "It's actually a kind of a popular place. Bit we haven't gone come since last year. So it was a good timing."

"Oh, un. Hey, Sasori-kun, look, an art museum, yeah!"

Sasori looked up. "Hey, what the hell? I never noticed that. And stop adding 'kun' to my name. It reminds me of my fangirls."

"Fine, _Sasori_, un."

"That's better."

Deidara pointed toward up toward the sign of the museum. "We should go sometime, yeah!"

"And what, get in trouble because you blew up the entire museum?" Sasori mumbled.

"Geez, yeah! Why do you always have to be such a stick up the ass, hmmm?" Deidara snapped back.

"Oooh~ Nice one, Deidara."

"Shut the hell up Konan."

"Aww, Saso-poo's upset."

"Shut the hell up Konan."

"Alright, alright."

They walked a little more around downtown while talking (or more like arguing and yelling at each other) before Pain decided that they should go into a McDonald's for an afternoon snack thing. (Yes, there are McDonald's in Japan. I know so.) By then, it was 3:30.

A small bell was attached to the top of the clear door, and it jingled slightly as the seven students walked into the fast-food restaurant. Soon enough, the smell of fresh french fries and burgers filled their noses, shifting around toward each customer in the restaurant. The majority of customers were students from Shinobi, and as well as some others.

They all looked up at the menu except for Pain and Konan who were first to order.

"Hello. Welcome to McDonalds. What would you like to order?" The lady at the register's voice and movements were almost like a robot's. She wore the black overalls, and stood straight. She appeared to be smiling on a whim.

"One small vanilla shake," Pain answered, and Konan followed by "Small strawberry shake."

The woman nodded, and began punching buttons. She glanced back at them and replied, "350 yen." Pain paid for himself and his girlfriend, while the others decided what to eat or drink (or both) and ordered.

In the end, they were all seated at two tables that they pushed together, and had eight seats, but they only used seven. Itachi and Kisame ordered a chocolate sundae that they ate together, Deidara and Hidan shared a side of small fries (which Deidara had to pay for since Hidan only had ten yen) and Deidara also was drinking grape fanta, and Sasori had an ice coffee latte. (They sell all those things, it took me a little while to check.)

"Dei-chan, you say that you're not dating Hidan, but with the fact that you paid for both of yourselves _and_ are sharing fries, you look one hundred percent like a couple," Konan commented.

"Well, I guess it would fucking make sense, especially since I would do this," Hidan answered. He stole Deidara's drink she was sipping on from her hand, and put his lips on the straw and sucked in.

"Dammit, Hidan, un!" Deidara snatched her drink back, and wiped the straw with a napkin. "That's disgusting."

Sasori and Itachi shook their heads in shame.

"Aw, c'mon, baby," Hidan teased. "Feed me a fry. With your mouth."

Pain and Kisame started chuckling, and Sasori almost choked on his latte. Deidara pursed her lips and her shoulders lifted upwards. She closed her eyes and reopened them. "Fine. Close your eyes, un."

People began looking at the "couple" with horrified and interested faces. In Japan, it was not exactly okay to show public displays of affection.

Hidan eyed her suspiciously, but closed his eyes. Deidara turned back to her napkin, and began to scrunch it up. The other Akatsuki members snickered quietly, trying not to let Hidan catch up to what Deidara was doing.

"Here. Eat this, hmmm!" Deidara suddenly cried, cramming the crumpled napkin into the Jashinist's mouth.

Hidan's eyes immediately widened, and he yanked (now wet) napkin from his mouth. "The fuck, bitch?"

The Akatsuki, if not everyone, began to laugh, or at least let out a chuckle or two. "Oh, you should have totally seen that coming, yeah!" Deidara laughed, trying not to make a scene. But that didn't really help.

"Fuck you."

"No thank you, yeah."

"Go die in a ditch."

After everything was (kind of) calm again, they started to converse again.

"Did you know that in the middle school, there's a fanclub for my little brother?" Itachi asked.

"What's wrong with girls these days, un?" Deidara muttered. "Fanclubs for on one particular guy is stupid."

The bell on the door jingled again, and Hidan saw a boy with black hair walk in. It was styled like Pain's except slightly different. Next to him was a split black and white male. Not many people walked into McDonalds with a monochrome body, so he was immediately stared at. Deidara took a glance back to see what Hidan was staring at (because he's rude), and noticed the half-and-half student.

She wondered who they were, until...

"Tobi? Zetsu?"

Pain had stood up, and stared at the two males who had just entered.

"Pain? Akatsuki?"

"**Holy shit, it is you!**"

(1) : I watched a Fluffeetalks video on youtube with a 16-year old who was robbing cars, then went into the car of a police officer WHILE the officer was in it, and literally got the shit scared out of him. "He crapped his pants. He crapped his pants and ran."


	8. Chapter 8: Embarrassing Deidara

**A/N: **So, I feel a little better, except I woke up at noon today, and my left leg is uncooperative. My arm's better though. Thank you again for the reviews, favorites, and watches, I truly enjoy them. :)

Oh, last night was kind of funny. I got "kicked out" of dinner (in a funny way, not a serious way) by my dad because I was laughing at practically anything and everything. Cheer camp does things to you. When I'm tired, I get silly. End of story.

I bring you chapter 8.

* * *

><p>Chapter 8: Embarrassing Deidara is a Hobby<p>

It was a happy reunion with the two fellow Akatsuki members, Tobi and Zetsu. They had sat down with the rest, catching up with stuff and being introduced to the two additions.

Tobi was a petite boy, with black hair, and wore a yellow shirt with dark jeans. Zetsu had green hair, which was also spiky. His shirt was black and "I EAT PEOPLE" was written in droopy, maroon-colored letters. His jeans were no different from Tobi, except it consisted of a long chain.

"Tobi, Zetsu. This is Iwakatsu Deidara and Kuraji Hidan. They go to Shinobi High with us," Pain started, using his left hand toward Deidara and Hidan.

"Nice to meet you," Zetsu greeted. "And before you ask, **split personality. Both literally and figuratively**." The white side started, but the black ended.

"Hi! Tobi's a good boy!"

"Hi, un. Nice to meet you too."

"You two must have fucking mental issues."

"You say that to anyone who talks to you, Hidan," Itachi muttered.

"Well, I'm very fucking honest. What can I say?"

"Hey, where's Kakuzu?" Zetsu's white side asked, looking around the group.

"Oh, he went to work. He needs to get that stick out of his ass and relax for once." Hidan made a disgusted face and leaned back on his chair.

"Do you two go to a different high school, yeah?" Deidara asked.

"**What's with the speech impediment**?" Zetsu's black side asked rudely. "Oh, don't be rude." "**Shut up**."

"Just a habit, yeah. Well, what about it, hmmm?"

"Tobi and Zetsu went to the same middle school as Akatsuki!" Tobi explained, talking in third person. "But Tobi and Zetsu go to technical college, because we didn't feel like going to high school!"

Deidara nodded, popping a fry into her mouth. "Cool."

"Oh, Tobi, Zetsu, did you know? Itachi and Kisame are dating now!" Konan exclaimed. "Just about two months maybe? I think."

"Really? Congratulations, Itachi-san, Kisame-san!" Tobi exclaimed, grinning. "Is Deidara-chan and Hidan-kun dating too?"

Deidara wanted to yell at him no, but was also wondering, "No... But why do you think so?"

"Because Hidan-kun is drinking Deidara-chan's drink that she was just drinking from."

Deidara's eyes widened and she snatched the drink from Hidan's hand again. "Asshole, yeah!" she screamed at him.

_He's rubbing off one her..._ Anyone would have thought so.

"Oh, that's good that Deidara-chan's not dating Hidan-kun," Tobi commented.

All of the Akatsuki raised an eyebrow. Deidara was first to ask, "Why, un?"

Tobi smiled, and proudly admitted, "Because Tobi thinks Deidara-chan is pretty."

Sasori almost choked again, and Kisame patted his back to make sure he wasn't going to die. Deidara blushed a little, and sunk into her seat. Hidan was struggling not to laugh.

"Heh, you're fucking lucky though, Tobi," Hidan replied. "Deidara's fucking hot, so she has guys after herself. But she's in the Akatsuki, so you have a higher chance of getting to date her."

"Hidan, hmmm!"

"I'm only telling the fucking asstastic truth. Remember at our middle school, a guy would fucking ask you out at least once a month?"

"Wow, Dei-chan, you were still so popular with the men even back then!" Konan exclaimed, hugging Deidara.

"Nnn..." Deidara was embarrassed.

"Wait," Pain observed. "You two went to the same middle school?"

Everyone else perked up at his question, realizing what the leader said was true.

"Yeah, he's right. How is it possible that you two moved here at the same time, and are best friends? The percent of that happening is like, 0.00000000000001%," Kisame added.

"Oh. Right," Deidara said. She fumbled with her next words. "Well—"

"I don't let my fucking best friend move without going with her!" Hidan yelled defensively.

"That's not weird at all," Sasori said. "You sound like a stalker."

Itachi nodded in agreement.

"Hey, don't look at me all fucking funny, that was just an important!" Hidan cried. "How did _you guys _get into this fucking organization?"

"Nagato and I started it," Konan explained. "We wanted something where we could find cool underclass mates. There were others at the beginning, but they quit. Our first permanent member became Zetsu."

"That's because **we're awesome**."

"Sure. Whatever. Anyway, then, Orochimaru joined. He's the guy, you know, that creepy third year? Sasori came, and we partnered them up. We got Tobi after that, and I guess he's Zetsu partner. After that, it was just like, Kakuzu, Itachi, Kisame, and then you two."

"That makes sense."

Itachi looked at her phone. "Hey, Sasori, we're going to be late for cram school. Let's go."

"**Nerds**," Zetsu's black side teased.

"Whatever. Let's go Itachi," Sasori muttered, getting up and taking his half-empty latte. (I'm a pessimistic person?)

"Have fun, yeah," Deidara added.

"Put a cap on it, brat."

The jingle of the bell signaled the leaving of the two "nerds".

"Hey, Dei-chan, Hidan said you got asked out at least once a month. Did you actually say yes to any of them?" Konan asked, amused.

"Well, doesn't this sound interesting," Zetsu's wide side quietly remarked with a smirk.

"Er...um..well..." Deidara sputtered, trying not to feel so embarrassed. "Uuuuuuuunnnnn! Why do you have to embarrass me so much, yeah?"

"**It's fun**." The remaining six answered.

Deidara shook her head. "Fine. I went out with three of them, un."

Konan immediately threw another question at her. "How long for each?"

"First, un. How long have you gone out with Pain, yeah?" Deidara asked.

Pain was uncomfortable with the girl talk. "Well, buh bye. I'm not comfortable with girl talk. Tobi, Zetsu, Kisame, Hidan. You all coming?" Well, wasn't he straight forward.

As much as they were amused with the girl talk, it would put them in an awkward situation that they would not like.

"Yeah, sure, by, bitches!" Hidan waved.

"Bye, bye Deidara-chan!" Tobi called, walking off. "And Konan-san!"

"**Sure. **Aw, but this is hilarious. **We're going. **Fine."

"I'll go, since Itachi-san isn't here anymore." Kisame walked off with Pain.

Konan and Deidara were silent for a moment, before Konan looked toward her friend, raised an eyebrow, and asked,

"Were we just abandoned?"

Deidara nodded. "I think so, un."

"Well, anyway, to answer your question, Dei-chan, we've been going out for only about a year," Konan replied.

"Well, that's long compared to my first two, yeah. The first one was about three months, and the second one was about six months, yeah."

"What about the third?"

"Almost a year, yeah. Eleven months, I think."

"Who were they?" Konan asked, leaning over the table. The ten seats were around the two tables; they had to clean up later.

"The first one was a boy named Akira. He was a year older than me, and he got too clingy, yeah."

"Ugh, I hate clingy guys. So, who was the second?"

Deidara's mouth made a small frown. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you, yeah," she said.

"Aw, c'mon, I will! Just spit it out already!" Konan demanded, hitting her fist against this table.

"Fine, un, fine, I'll tell you. It was—"

"Just tell me!" Konan interrupted, but Deidara continued.

"_Hidan, un."_

Silence.

Then,

"What the hell?"


	9. Chapter 9: The Two Girls' Pasts

**A/N: **So, I was going to make this chapter yesterday, but I got mad, so I kind of got sidetracked. The reason I got mad is because I was going to go to a Bowling for Soup concert near where I live (only hint: it's one of the largest US cities) and it was on the day before school started, at 10:20 **PM**. And for some people, I know that's not late, but during school days and stuff, my bedtime is 10 pm. The thing is, my parents actually said that they wouldn't mind if I was out until the day school started at like, 1 Am in the morning, and I was really happy right?

And then my dreams were crushed. You have to be 14 with a valid ID to get into the building. What. The. Hell. I'm not happy, to say the least.

Responses to reviews:

Kuroui: Haha, I actually like the pairing Hidei, I just think it's kind of...well, different? :3 Nice reaction. V

glitterthorn: Yep, drama is always nice in life. :D - Possible sarcasm? X)

Anonymous reviewer "Reviewer": Thank you! :D

SasoxDei: Oh, there would be no reason that I wouldn't make them be together eventually. ;) I think I could tell by your name how much you enjoyed Sasodei. XD It's all good, it's my OTP.

So, welcome chapter 9! 1/3 through? I dunno. This might actually end up to be fourty chapters. This part about them being at McDonalds was actually supposed to only be one chapter, not three. X)

* * *

><p>Chapter 9: The Two Girls' Pasts<p>

Konan's POV

My eyes widened. "Hidan? Seriously?" I shouted. There was no way that such an adorable girl like Deidara could be dating Hidan, much less even be best friends with him. Some things just don't add up.

Deidara nodded in response. "Seriously, un."

Oh my Nagato. I started sputtering incoherent stuff at my younger. "Bu-and-you-Hidan-going-the-wha-I'M SO CONFUSED!" My sudden outburst apparently disturbed the other customers, and Deidara looked around nervously.

"We should get out of here before someone calls manager, un," she said, standing up. I agreed, and we walked out without rearranging the chairs.

When we were finally out of the fast food restaurant, I stopped to face Deidara. "Okay," I started. "Now, you will explain, in high definition detail, _how the hell _you and Hidan got together!"

I really wanted to know...

"Alright, yeah!" Deidara began her story. "Just watch the flashback..."

_~Flashback~3__rd__ Person POV~_

"_Hey, Hidan, un!" _

_A second year middle schooler Deidara, ran up to her best friend after the last class of the day and sat on his desk. She wore a completely long-sleeved navy blue sailor uniform, except for the white lining on the collar and the white ribbon on the front. White leg warmers covered her slim legs, for it was the end of November and winter was already settling in. _

"_Heya, Dei," Hidan greeted back. "What the hell did you get on your science test?" (1)_

"_86, un. How about you, yeah?"_

"_52!" Hidan announced that as though it was an accomplishment. But for Hidan, it was on the better side._

"_You'll never get into college, un." Deidara frowned. _

_Hidan noticed a piece of paper rolled in Deidara's palm that she clutched. "What's that?"_

"_Akira, un," Deidara muttered. "He's bugging me about getting back together. But I don't want to, yeah! He's so annoying!" She flailed her arms for extra effect. _

_Hidan put a finger thoughtfully to his chin. As he thought for about three minutes, Deidara put her hands to her hips, tapping her foot impatiently. "Well, un? Don't you have any ideas, yeah?" she demanded._

_Then, he smirked as an idea popped into his mind. The albino grabbed Deidara's arm, and dragged her close to himself. "Then why don't you go out with me? " he suggested, grinning like an idiot. "It'll get him to go away."_

_Deidara was dumbfounded, unable to say anything for two minutes. She finally managed to stutter out one word. "W-W-what, un?" _

"_C'mon! It's worth one hellava try!" (2)_

_Deidara suddenly gave him a blank look. "Aren't you just saying that, hmmm?" she scowled. _

"_Aw, I'm serious! We're best friends! C'mon, give me a chance!"_

"_I think that you're just amused by my reaction yeah.."_

"_Kind of. But what the hell could go wrong? It's kind of an experiment for both of us. I want to see how we really like each other."_

_Deidara didn't think that sounded like Hidan at all. But...she couldn't argue with the idea. So, she gave in._

"_Okay. I'll go out with you, Hidan."_

_~End of Flashback~_

"I'm not sure if that's the right way to ask someone out," Konan remarked.

"Un...I thought the same too..." Deidara sheepishly admitted.

But still, Konan was still curious. "So, what, like, happened during those six months? I wanna hear about a kiss or something like that!"

Deidara blushed a little. "There's not much to it. It was kind of awkward though, because we had to avert from friends to friends and lovers, yeah. But I guess I'll tell you, un."

_~Flashback~_

_Word spread like wild fire about Hidan and Deidara, and it was hard to tell from rumor to truth. Deidara's girl friends held her back and teased and helped, while Hidan's guy friends just patted his back and congratulated him._

"_Wow Dei-chan!" Mimi (3) cried, jumping up and down while clapping her hands. "I can't believe you're dating Kuraji-kun! You didn't really seem the type to though; I kind of thought that you would be more interested in the sweeter guys. No offense, but he's kind of the punkish guy. He swears, and he's kind of stupid."_

'_Make that very stupid,' Deidara thought. "But he's not a very bad guy," she defended. "He can be a gentleman, un. He just chooses not to be."_

"_You got that right." An arm wrapped around Deidara's neck, which surprised her and Mimi. _

"_Oh, Hidan, un!" Deidara held his arm with two hands, latching herself onto him._

"_Well, have fun~" Mimi called, walking away from the couple. She wasn't going to get in the way of her friend and her friend's boyfriend._

"_Having fun with Mimi?" Hidan asked._

"_She's been talking about me and you all the time now, yeah," Deidara answered. _

"_What's she saying?"_

"_Meh, not much, yeah. Well, it's just—oh crap, there's Akira, un."_

_Hidan held Deidara tighter to himself, and turned her over so that her arms were against his chest. People in the hallways watched and blushed, snickered, giggled, and some were even uncomfortable with the PDA going on. _

_A roaring, dark aurora came from Akira, who was approaching the duo. People backed away from him, scared that if they were too close he might rip their heads off. Not that he could, anyway. He stopped in front of Deidara and Hidan, and he looked straight forward, his eyes sharp and his eyebrows furrowed. Akira was taller than Deidara, but shorter than Hidan. _

"_What's this that I hear about you two going out?" he hissed. _

_Hidan smirked and cocked his head to the side. "Jealous, Akira?" He didn't look a bit intimidated by the aggravated third year._

"_Ha, are you kidding me? This was just so stupid, I had to butt in. You two are together? Give me a break." _

_His eyes were wide, and Deidara swore he was going insane. _

"_Really? Because it just seems like you got jealous of me getting together with Dei-chan," Hidan mocked, a smug grin on his face._

"_Psh. I wouldn't give a fuck if you kissed Deidara on the lips right here and n-"_

_Gasps led the hallway as Hidan pressed his lips against Deidara's._

_~End of Flashback~_

"So...Hidan kissed you just because he was taunting a guy?" Konan asked, dumbstruck. Well, specifically, dumbstruck by Hidan's stupidity.

"Practically, yeah," Deidara said, slurping the last of her drink, and tossing it into a nearby trashcan. "It was really awkward though."

"How so?"

"It was just...so...weird...like, I was unprepared, but there was more, un."

"Okay...so that's not weird. What about your third relationship? How long was it after you broke up with Hidan?"

Deidara looked toward the ground. "Three months, and then I asked him out, un."

"Oh! So, you _did _have a crush!" Konan exclaimed, grinning.

"Yep..."

"Hey! What's the sad face? C'mon!"

"I...don't like to talk about him, un."

"Why not?"

Deidara looked back up at her. "Remember about three months ago when I dropped that photo frame, un? That was him next to me." She pulled out the same photo frame, and pointed at the brunette. They were both smiling, and happy.

"Oh...I'm not sure exactly what happened, but I'm sorry," Konan apologized.

"It's fine, un. But what about you? I haven't learned much about you, Konan-chan," Deidara noticed, putting the photo frame back into the same pocket of her bag it came from.

"Oh, me? Well, for starters, I live with Nagato."

Deidara's eyes widened. "Really, un? Isn't that, like, kind of weird for the school, yeah?"

Konan shrugged. "Not really. We've been together since kindergarten."

"Oh. As in, like the same house?"

"Yeah, our parents died, so this man named Jiraiya took care of us until we could survive on our own. We were about 12 when he thought we were okay."

"Is it more awkward to live with someone you're dating or someone who you're not dating, yeah? And how do you keep up with your bills and stuff, un?"

Konan looked up, thoughtful. "Hmm...well, it was never really too awkward, and it's not that awkward either, since Nagato's probably too stupid to think about sex. So I guess I can say I'm comfortable at my home sweet home. And we keep good jobs that pay well. It might have something to do with the fact that we live in an apartment."

"That's good, yeah."

"Oh, we're at the train station. Where do you ride to, Dei-chan?"

The two had apparently walked toward the train station to go home without even noticing it.

"East, un. What about you?"

"I go north. Just a little bit, actually only about three stations away. But it's too much too walk."

Deidara slid her card into the slot of the machine, and the red pads opened like before. Konan followed suit.

"I'll see you later, Konan-chan, yeah," Deidara said, waving goodbye.

"Mmhmm. Bye!" Konan waved as well.

She checked her phone. It read four forty-five. She had to get home to make dinner for her boyfriend, who had left a while ago to escape the girl talk.

The girl looked up, and checked for the next train. It was at four forty-eight. If she ran up the stairs, she would get there. And she did just that, to avoid the crowded, small escalator.

The platform wasn't as full as usual, but there were some workers with suits and students standing around. She got in line behind a young male worker, and patiently waited for the signal of the train coming from the blue-suited man with the cool hat.

And as three minutes wait ended, and she was abroad the train, her mind went into deep thought. It always did when she was alone, in a quiet place such as a train.

_Deidara's an interesting girl...but there's something else...I can't pinpoint it...and I shouldn't be worried by it too much for now. It's...too early to be going around, assuming untrue and possibly true things..._ Konan thought, setting her phone alarm to five fifteen and changing the alarm to vibrate.

Her eyelids slowly fell, and she was enveloped into a shallow, twenty-five minute sleep.

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><p>(1) Hidan's still in middle school, so he doesn't say "fuck", "shit", or "ass"; he just sticks with the bad words, not the actual cuss words.<p>

(2) Hellava= Hell of a

(3) Mimi=美々


	10. Chapter 10: Itachi's Birthday

**A/N:** I went to a sleepover last night, and all we did was practically just my friend, my "wife" (my friend's sister), and me playing on the computer, and their parents came home at 1 am, and we ran up the stairs, because I guess we really shouldn't be on a computer at 1 am. Unless your like, nocturnal or something. I don't know. Well, that was fun. And just to let you know, it was actually ThePowerofTheGio's house I was staying at. I helped her make an account on here just yesterday. :)

**To my Reviewers:**

**Sasunarufan101****:** Haha, well, yeah, that's what I thought. A school ID? I have one from 7th grade...but you know. *shrugs*

**Kuroui: **Well, he's Hidan. X)

**Anonomyous Reviewer "Reviewer": **You'll hear like, two more later. ;)

**SasoxDei****: **Actually, this may have about 30-40 chapters, but it has two sequels. There's like a summary on my profile. ;) Or more like me saying that it's ridiculous for making two sequels when this is the first many-chapter story that I'm going to complete. -_-'

* * *

><p>Chapter 10: Itachi's Birthday<p>

"Aw, it's so fucking hot!" Hidan complained, fanning his face with a shitajiki. (1) "I hate summer."

Only after two minutes of being out in the warm sun of June, Hidan was sweating. Kakuzu snorted. "Shut up. All of us are hot. How you've survived through July and August in the past is a complete mystery to me."

"Give me that back, hmmm!" Deidara yapped, snatching the shitajiki from Hidan that belonged to her. Well, yeah, when you have purikura (2) stickers and random English and Japanese writing and drawings all over it in black and red (okay maybe not that), I don't think that would be considered the work of a man.

The girl fanned herself with the hard piece of plastic, of course after grabbing it from Hidan.

"Oh...I hate summer..." Konan mumbled. "I'm really used to rain...I love rain."

"At least it's just hot, not actually humid," Kisame offered. He was met with a hand in the face.

"Just...don't...say...it..." Konan warned. I mean, you can't blame her. Things become worse when you say they can't get worse. And I think hot is better than humid.

Sasori pulled the shitajiki from Deidara's hands. "Let me see that," he stated, taking it the same way as Deidara had done with Hidan. Deidara rolled his eyes at his unusual childish attitude.

But Hidan did not approve. He pointed an accusing finger at Sasori and yelled at Deidara, "Oh, so _he _gets to use it, but _I _fucking don't?"

"I asked," Sasori stated simply, fanning himself lightly.

Everyone but Hidan laughed.

"Hey, y'all want to come over to ours today?" Pain asked. "It's Itachi's birthday, so we can spend some time all together."

"Oh, but first, Itachi-san, will you help me get something?" Kisame asked.

Konan smiled. Part 1 of plan: Complete.

"Umm...okay? But what is it?" Itachi asked.

"That's another thing I need help. I'm not exactly sure what it is. C'mon!" Kisame grabbed Itachi's hand and started running the opposite direction of the train station before the girl could voice any complaints.

Part 2 of Surprise Birthday Party for Itachi: Complete.

When the couple were no longer visible by the Akatsuki, Konan began talking.

"So that went pretty well! I guess we'll have to thank Kisame later."

"Yeah. Let's hurry up, and get to the house, so we can do the rest of the decorations," Kakuzu added, starting to jog toward the train station.

The other's did the same.

"All the present are there, right, un?" Deidara questioned, catching up to Konan's pace. Those dreadful years of soccer in middle school did pay off.

"Yes," Konan answered. "It's just that...not everything is organized." She jumped over a rock to avoid tripping on it.

"She's not very good about keeping things clean nor organized," Pain augmented.

Konan looked at him at smiled. "Nagato darling..."

Uh oh. Pain didn't like that sweet tone very much. "Yes, dear?"

"Shut the hell up."

He would've gone into another emo corner if he wasn't racing to get to his house. He checked his watch, "Holy shit! Guys, it's 3:12! We have to get there in three minutes!"

He had memorized the quickest time to get home after school. That time was three fifteen. "Pick up the pace!"

Within thirty seconds, they reached the train station, but they couldn't stop there. Pain checked his watch again. 3:13. They would make it, but he felt as though he couldn't stop running. The two people on the sides of him panted, but they didn't stop their legs either.

They ran toward the entrance, through the card machines, and into the stair pathways.

"3:15! Guys, hurry the hell up!" Pain called after him. He was about halfway up the stairs when he almost tripped.

"What the fuck do you think we're doing?" Hidan shot back.

"Get up, Nagato!" Konan yelled, shoving him upward.

The train was already there, and in three seconds, they managed to go from the top of the stairs to the inside of the train.

"Gah! Huff...huff..." Pain bent over, gasping for breath.

Heck that, everyone was, besides Kakuzu. They had probably ran a kilometer in all. None of them had done track or cross country besides Kakuzu, which made sense why he wasn't so tired. He did 5 kilometers back in middle school, and kept himself in good shape since then.

"Damn, Kuzu, you're...not...huff...tired?" Hidan asked, sitting on an empty seat.

Kakuzu sat next to him and shrugged. "Not really. I did track a little while ago. Not that long of a distance. Unless you're a pussy."

Hidan's eye twitched, and a vein popped. "Oh-"

Before he could shout a long list of obscenities, Kakuzu covered his mouth, and whispered, "Train." Being in a train and being loud while in a train didn't exactly fit well. Common courtesy, to say the least.

Frustrated, Hidan took another step up. He bit Kakuzu hand.

"Gah!" Kakuzu immediately pulled away.

Deidara giggled slightly, and Sasori snickered. "You don't get any less from Hidan, yeah."

She took a seat next to Hidan, and Sasori sat next to her. Konan and Pain sat on different edges, Konan next to Sasori, and Pain next to Kakuzu.

"Hey, brat," Sasori started.

Deidara ignored the annoying nickname, and simply answered, "Un?"

"What do you like besides art?" Oh. Deidara had realized it now. Sasori and she had never really talked about anything besides art. They liked to sometimes go to the art room together before school started, and draw and compare. Or more like start a paint war over whose art was better.

"That's kind of vague, un. Give me an example."

Sasori thought for a moment. "Music. Manga. Books. Things like that." Deidara nodded in response.

"Well, Danna, I like-"

"**DANNA?**"

Sasori's eyes widened and Deidara was met with many faces, even beyond the Akatsuki members who were on the train.

"Holy mother Jashin shit!" Hidan cursed.

Deidara's face turned completely pink. "Ah...Sasori, I-I swear that w-was an accident, u-un!" she stammered. Oh Jashin, how embarrassing.

"Danna means...master or husband..." Sasori whispered.

"Which isn't really good for either case..." Konan murmured.

An awkward silence past, but it was mostly between the two artists.

Sasori finally spoke up. "Fine. You can call me Danna, as in master. Because that makes me the superior artist."

"Smart thinking," Kakuzu remarked. Sasori made a little bow while sitting, replying with a, "Thank you."

"O-okay, un," Deidara agreed, face still tinted pink. "Oh...that was the most embarrassing moment of my life, yeah."

Hidan chuckled. "Ha. You bet it was!" Deidara shot him a look that made him shut up.

"Uuuuunnnnn...let's change the subject, yeah!" she complained, rolling up into a ball in her seat.

"Well, we're here, so on our way, Dei-chan, we can talk," Konan said, pulling Deidara off of her seat.

They got off in a blob, and just as Deidara wanted, they changed the subject as well.

"How long is Kisame stalling?" Sasori asked.

"Thirty minutes. It's been fifteen now, but it takes about ten to get here. So, we still have about twenty-five minutes. If we run, we'll make it to my house in about three minutes," Konan stated.

So they started running again.

~*~*~Back with Itachi and Kisame~*~*~

"Kisame."

Itachi wasn't happy at all. Something was wrong with Kisame, and of course, he was the kind of failing at lies. Something wasn't right, and it most likely didn't just include her and Kisame.

"Yes, Itachi-san?"

"Why did you really bring me here?"

Kisame froze. His hand was about to reach for a book, but Itachi had said that one question that he was begging not for her to ask.

"For books," he answered, nonchalantly. Hey, he had done pretty well at lying this time.

But of course, Itachi didn't by it. "Seriously. Just tell me. My own boyfriend is starting to aggravate me."

Kisame slowly glanced at his girlfriend. Her face was, as usual, calm and expressionless, but he knew she was kind of upset on the inside. He checked his watch. That was enough stalling.

"Hold on," he said, quickly sending a text to Pain.

_Are you done?_

"Who are you texting that's more important than this?"

"Pain. He's wondering how long we're going to take." _Well, actually, I'm wondering how long __**he's **__going to take!_

A text came back three seconds later.

_Yeah. Can't stall any longer?_

Kisame texted back,

_Yeah. I'll be over there in fifteen minutes with Itachi. Make sure to hide._

"Okay, Itachi-san, let's go." Kisame flipped his phone closed, and exited the book store, Itachi following suit.

The blue-skinned man noticed a strange aurora around him, and he looked back at Itachi. Sure enough, she was staring at him.

"Yes?" he asked, trying to act innocent.

Itachi shook her head. "I really hate people hiding things from me."

Kisame turned back forward, and turned right, Itachi still following him. He just couldn't look at her right now. It was a good surprise, but he was worried he ruin it. And it was important that it was a surprise.

"Sorry. But I can't tell." Technically, that was the truth.

"Fine."

The rest of the way to the train station, on the train, and two Konan and Pain's house was an uncomfortable silence, which Kisame tried to ignore by listening to Utada Hikaru on his iPod.

He finally pulled them out when they reached in front of the apartment number 343. Konan and Pain.

Kisame knocked, and asked, "It's Kisame and Itachi! Can we come in?"

A quiet, "Yes." was heard from the other side.

Itachi took the liberty of opening the door, and luckily it wasn't locked.

"It's so dark in here. I'll turn on the lights." And just as the lights brightened the apartment room—

"**SURPRISE**!"

Itachi, flabbergasted, froze up. The only words she could speak were, "Oh...wow..."

"See, Itachi-san? This is what I had to stall you about. I'm sorry, but we weren't quite ready..." Kisame explained.

"I forgive you," Itachi admitted, smiling back up.

"Alright then! Now that the birthday girl is here~!" Konan reached for the remote to the television, "It's time for Dance Dance Revolution!"

And so started an interesting night of getting high off of cake and juice and three hundred twenty-six rounds of DDR.

"**HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ITACHI!" **

* * *

><p>(1) A shitajiki is something you put under a paper you write, so that you don't get the annoying bumps on the other side. It's mostly for notebooks.<p>

(2) Er..well, I'll explain it later?


	11. Chapter 11: Party in the USA, er, Japan

**A/N: **Holy Jashin. Again. 3,247 words just with the story. Honestly, this took _forever _to write. So ugh. Later, I will post a picture of every Akatsuki members house on my deviantart account. Just to let you know, it's the same username as on here, izumichan560. I have a few pictures up on there, but I haven't done anything for about two weeks. Currently, I am working on a younger Deidara picture, and am kind of failing at the coloring. X)

I'm thinking of putting this story up on DA as well. I just keep forgetting. XD I think I'll just put it up after I finish it on here. Also, while making this story, I will be doing more stories. I just need to come up with ideas that isn't a series. I have an idea for a 10 chapter story, but it is very incomplete. After this though, I will be writing the two sequels, as well as starting another series. And maybe this other one. The first one is about Sasori being "the bully" and "the playboy" at school, and he's hurting Deidara, to the point where Deidara starts cutting herself. I know I said herself by the way.

The other one is a very serious, yet accurate depiction of the partnership of Sasori and Deidara from the birth to death. Tobi will be included if I end up writing this story. You know, since he was Dei's partner for a while? It's not yaoi nor shounen-ai, it's mostly just friendship and some guesses of Deidara's past. Hopefully quite accurate. It's just kind of about the whole oh-Sasori-is-an-emotionless-bastard-wait-no-he-let-chiyo-kill-him-because-he-still-misses-his-parents and oh-Deidara-was-one-of-the-actually-most-emotionless-members-because-he-didn't-have-any-feelings-to-dying-just-his-art-so-it-why-do-we-make-him-a-girl-wait-that's-because-he-looks-like-a-girl-okay-I'll-shut-the-hell-up-now stuff.

Thank you to the reviewers! (I'm sorry about the previous messed up underlines, I don't know what happened. Oh yeah, and Glitterthorn, I'm sorry, the stupid Underline's not working for you! I don't know why, I tried four times. :/)

**Sasunarufan101: **Oh, I did the DDR just for you, darling. ;) Haha, but you'll see who will win.

**SasoxDei: **Thanks~ I just figure if I don't keep writing daily I will never finish this story. :/

**Glitterthorn****:** (Haha, too lazy to login? XD Jk) Thanks. :D I was thinking, _Wait, how the heck can Dei end up calling Sasori 'Danna'? Ooohh! I got it! X). _

And now this is 4,247 words with the Author's notes...

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><p>Chapter 11: Party in the USA-er, I mean Japan<p>

"Alright, so this is how it's going to go," Pain stated, grabbing a purple pencil and a blank sheet of paper. "We start off everyone with their partners to face off, and we create a losers' bracket and winners' bracket. So, let's say with Deidara and Sasori. If Sasori were to lose—"

"Cht. Like hell that would happen."

"Hey, un!"

"Anyway, continuing on from where I was before I was rudely interrupted," Pain shot Sasori a look. "If Sasori were to lose, he'd go to the losers' bracket, where he would face off with the other losers. But in the end, if he won in the losers' bracket, he could still face off with the winner of the winners' bracket and still be considered champion. Got it?"

They all nodded. "Okay then, first, the birthday girl, Itachi, and Kisame." Pain wrote their names and drew a bracket that connected them. "Then Deidara and Sasori." He drew a bracket connecting their names, and a bracket that connected the two groups. "Kakuzu and Hidan," another bracket, "And Konan and me." He wrote the last bracket for two names, then connected Kakuzu and Hidan's and Konan and his. Then he connected their four with the other artistic duo and the birthday girl and Kisame. Up on the very top was an upside down bracket, representing the winner of the winners' bracket.

"I'll draw the losers' bracket after we figure out who loses," Pain added.

"Will you quit fucking saying that?" Hidan requested, not-so-nicely. "It makes us feel like fucking losers when you say 'losers' bracket', 'losers' bracket', 'losers' bracket' so many fucking times!"

"I sincerely apologize," Pain replied sarcastically. "Anyway, let the games begin! First up, Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame!"

"Alright! We all play on Difficult, and for the first round...what sound shall we go with?" she scrolled down miraculously fast on the song list, stopping about five seconds later to let everyone get a good look.

"Let's do Inoue Joe's 'Closer'!" Kisame yelled. (1)

Everyone nodded his or her head vigorously. The Akatsuki loved anime songs and such, and was definitely up for that song.

"Four minutes forty-eight seconds! Have fun guys!" Konan lastly commented, before pressing 'Go!'

The song started immediately, and Kisame and Itachi began to step.

_Mijika ni aru mono  
>Tsune ni ki wo tsuketeinai to<br>Amari ni chikasugite  
>Miushinatte shimaisou<em>

The opening lyrics were pretty simple; it was the 24 seconds non-lyrical portion that came after it that was quite difficult. After all, it was on difficult.

_Left, Right, Left, Up, Left, Down, Left—Dammit, that was up. Right, Up, Left, Right—_

Deidara and Konan began singing quietly while sitting on the couch.

"_Anata ga saikin taiken shita  
>Shiawase wa ittai nan desuka<br>Megumare sugiteite  
>Omoidasenai kamo<em>

Ima koko ni iru koto  
>Iki wo shiteiru koto<br>Tade sore dake no koto ga  
>Kiseki da to kizuku<p>

Mijika ni aru mono  
>Tsune ni ki wo tsuketeinai to<br>Amari ni chikasugite  
>Miushinatte shimaisou<p>

You know the closer you get to something  
>The tougher it is to see it<br>And I'll never take it for granted  
>Lets go<p>

"

"You have a nice singing voice."

Deidara looked behind and up, seeing where the voice came from. Or in this case, who. Konan looked above as well.

"Oh. Thank you Sasori-no-Danna, un."

Sasori sat by Deidara on the multi-colored couch, and Konan got up, a visible smirk was on her lips. Sasori stared at her a moment, suspicion covering his features.

"I don't like that smirk," he muttered.

"It scares me too, yeah."

"Well, it's not that it scares me. It's just that I know she's planning something that we don't know about."

"We, un?"

"I, us, me, you, you know, that shit?"

"I know, yeah."

"Heh, well, the brat's got it, give her a cookie."

"Shut the hell up, un!" Deidara yelled, her lips pursed.

Sasori chuckled. "I'm getting something to drink," he declared. "You want something?"

"Un, just get me whatever you're getting, yeah."

~*~*~Seven Meters Away~*~*~

"You think they're flirting too?" Kakuzu asked.

"Of course!" Konan put her hands on her hips. "It wouldn't make sense if they weren't!"

"Is that why you got up? So you could watch them flirt from a distance?"

"Yeah. Why?"

Hidan was standing next to Kakuzu, arms folded over his chest, watching the epic (or not epic, whatever) game of DDR with Kisame and Itachi. The song was about half done, with Kisame in the lead.

"Why are you pouting?" Kakuzu looked down at Hidan.

"Am fucking not!"

"Am _fucking _too."

"Bitch."

"...Are you worried about Dei-chan?" Konan questioned.

"Kind of."

"Why? I thought you two broke up over a year ago."

"Yeah, I know we fucking did, but—wait, WHAT THE FUCK? HOW THE HELL DID YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT? DEIDARA YOU BITCH I'M GOING TO FUCKING KILL Y—"

Kakuzu put a hand over his mouth to make him shut the hell up. Knowing what Hidan was going to try and do, he warned, "Bite me, and your head will be taped on to a wall, separate from your body."

Hidan pouted again, and huffed. Kakuzu removed his hand.

"What are you so defensive about?" Konan asked, slightly annoyed.

"I know this sounds fucking stupid, but I'm fucking worried, alright?" Hidan breathed. "I can't trust anyone besides myself with her."

"Who the hell are you to say who she's with?" Kakuzu beckoned, folding his arms. "You're not her brother or father."

Out of the corner of her eye, Konan saw Kisame almost trip; his right leg was over his left on the board. One minute to go.

Hidan thought a moment, then shook his head "no". "This is a fucking party, I don't want it to get all dark! I'm fucking getting food! Later bitches!" He ran off.

"Dark?" Konan looked at Kakuzu.

Kakuzu shook his head, his arms folded. "Something tells me we got into a lot of shit. But for now, let's watch who won."

The song ended, and the scores totaled...

Kisame: 9,264,128

Itachi: 9,265,687

They were both slightly panting, because although Dance Dance Revolution does look easy, going for almost five minutes made quite a heartbeat.

The Akatsuki looked up at the scores, and clapped.

"Go Itachi!", "Oh well Kisame!", and "Good job guys!" echoed inside of the large apartment.

Kisame pecked Itachi on the forehead, whispering "Good job." It earned him and Itachi a round of "Ooooh"s.

"Okay, so Itachi is the winner for this round." Pain circled Itachi's name, and wrote it above. "Next, Akasuna Sasori and Iwakatsu Deidara!"

"He sounds like a judge," Kakuzu confided to Konan.

She chuckled, and nodded. "Indeed he does."

"You ready Danna?" Deidara challenged, showing a fist.

The Akatsuki burst into laughter at the word 'Danna'. But they were also welcomed back with a "Shut the hell up, un!"

"Heh. I'll win. Don't worry."

"We won't know until we try, yeah! Start the music Konan-chan!"

Konan pressed the same song with the keys. 3...2...1...

GO!

The screen started as Kisame's and Itachi's had.

Konan walked out of the living room, determined to find Hidan, wherever he went. She walked up a step that entered into the small living and kitchen. The walls were a clean white without a spot of mess, and two walls of the kitchen were covered with appliances such as the counters and stoves and refrigerator. And of course, Hidan's head was in the fridge.

"_What _are you doing?" Konan spoke, startling the Jashinist.

"BRAH!"

In his mouth was a banana. Konan looked toward the banana rack. Surely one was missing from the bunch. She looked at him with exasperation. "How can you eat so much and still have a six-pack?"

Hidan's toned stomach _was_ quite a mystery to many. He ate candy, tablespoons full of sugar, and so much other stuff, it was hard to believe he wasn't fat. In a way, he was like L from Death Note.

The silver-haired male finished the stuffed banana in his mouth, and pointed toward his exposed stomach. He had opened all of the buttons to his uniform top, exposing his entire upper half.

"I'm just fucking sexy like that," he kidded. But then again, with Hidan, you could never know.

"Well, get back over in the living room. Deidara and Sasori are playing."

"Who won the last fucking game?"

"Itachi did."

"That seemed kind of fucking predictable."

"That's great. Now get your ass moving."

Konan walked out of the kitchen, Hidan following closely behind. When they reentered the living room, Deidara and Sasori had perfect beats, with Sasori ahead by about two thousand points. Konan stared at Sasori a moment, noticing his out of character spastic dance. Jashin, that guy was different. And Jashin, she had just thought Jashin instead of Nagato.

Speaking of Nagato, she walked over toward her boyfriend who was sitting on the floor with his legs crossed.

"How's it going?" she asked.

"Pretty okay," Pain answered, nodding.

"Alright. Then, let's let the show continue."

Thirteen minutes later, Konan and Pain were on the last thirty seconds of Closer, with Konan in the lead with a good hundred thousand points.

"C'mon Pain-in-the-ass! DON'T LET A FUCKING GIRL BEAT YOU!"

While still stepping, Konan grabbed a pillow from the carpet, and chucked it backwards at Hidan's face.

Bullseye.

"Bitch!"

"Shut the hell up Hidan!"

He effectively did.

Oh, ten seconds. They all began to chant.

"**10! 9...8...7...6-"**

"Let's go guys!"

"**5...4...3! 2! 1!**"

The "END" bar flashed across the screen, and the points added up.

Konan: 10,568,561

Pain: 10,492,452

"OWNED!" Hidan yelled.

"So, that's Itachi, me, Kakuzu, and Konan in the winners' bracket..." Sasori said, writing down Konan's name.

"Don't say losers' bracket!" Kisame warned.

"And in the _losers' bracket_..." Sasori taunted.

"Shut up!"

Sasori dodged a pillow to the face, unlike Hidan was able to.

"Kisame, Deidara, Hidan, and Pain."

Since the I, the narrator is too lazy to write about the next 6 rounds of Dance Dance Revolution with the members of the Akatsuki, I will go ahead and skip to the very last round.

Kakuzu VS. Pain

Last twenty seconds.

"C'mon! Pain-in-the-ass! Get the fucking money whore!"

Hidan was met with another pillow to the face.

"GAH! BITCHES!"

"Who do you think will win, un? They're pretty close. Only ten points. Wait, now Pain has a hundred more."

"My guess is Kakuzu," Sasori stated.

"Hm."

"**5! 4! 3! 2! 1!**"

Pain and Kakuzu fell from their spots, dead tired. Both were panting, and were barely able to look at the screen to examine their points.

Pain: 12,856,664

Kakuzu: 12,864,528

"Well, my guess was right," Sasori declared with triumph.

"Well, I never said it was wrong, un."

"DDR champion is Kuroito Kakuzu!" Konan announced, standing up on top of the couch. Like, not on the couch, but on the back thing. Whatever it's called. On top of the back of the couch. There. Happy?

"Okay, now time for cake!" Kisame added, racing toward the kitchen. Interestingly, Kisame was very good at cooking, so he was the one who made the cake.

"Ooh! Fucking food!"

Kisame and Hidan were first to get into the kitchen, followed by an out-of-breath Kakuzu, then Deidara and Sasori, and lastly Pain, Konan, and the birthday girl. Because there were only three chairs, they decided to eat on the floor. It was weird, but none of them cared. The Akatsuki gathered around in a circle around the cake, and Kisame slipped into the spot between Itachi and Pain. The blue-skinned man pulled out a lighter, and rolled the roller thing to start the small fire. He pushed the lighter toward one of the sixteen candles, and soon enough, the candle was brightly lit by the fire.

"I'll turn off the lights," Konan offered, standing up and clicking the switch to the light. The one candle was the only thing that lit the room, or more like entire apartment. Kisame lighted the rest of the candles, and he started, "Alright, one...two...three."

"**Happy birthday to you~**

**Happy birthday to you~**

**Happy birthday dear Itachi~**

**Happy Birthday to you~**"

"WOO!"

"YAH!"

"Hidan, you were terribly off key."

"Shut the fuck up."

Everyone took out two candles, and licked the small amount of frosting off of each one. As they did so, Kisame began to cut the cake, perfectly into eight pieces. Down the middle. Down the other middle to fourths. And down two more. Eight pieces.

"Itachi gets to choose hers. Itachi?" Kisame asked.

Itachi pointed toward the blue colored portion. It was also where the "ITA" was written for Itachi. The cake itself was quite gorgeous, a very light cream, strawberry on the inside, and "HAPPY BIRTHDAY ITACHI" written in red frosting. Kisame was definitely the chef of the Akatsuki.

After all the semi-sweet cake was eaten, it was time for presents. There was a small pile of seven presents in the corner of the living room, and Pain and Konan ran to get them.

"Okay Itachi! Pick one to open first!" Konan yelled from her spot she sat again in.

In front of Itachi were seven different gifts. The one that she decided to open was a red velvet-colored bag with black tissue paper. She guess it was from, "Sasori?"

"That's mine," the red-head answered, confirming Itachi's guess.

Itachi reached in, and she pulled out a Moomin (2) Mug.

"Oh, Moomin, un!"

"You like Moomin too, brat?"

"Yeah."

Itachi reached in once more, and noticed another object in there and a card as well. She grabbed it, put the bag aside, and put the other object down. "Can I read the card?" she asked, looking down at the card, then the Moomin Mug and Gold rimmed sunglasses.

"It's not much. You can read it now if you want," Sasori replied, shrugging.

Itachi nodded, and opened the card. She began reading. "Happy Birthday. Sasori." She gave a blank look toward him.

Sasori rolled his eyes. "I said it wasn't much."

Itachi rolled her eyes as well. "Thank you Sasori." She reached for the next present, which appeared to be Kisame's.

"Oh, that's mine," Kisame excitedly announced.

It was a small box, but Itachi knew it was the thought that counted. She tugged on the yellow ribbon, and it fell to the floor. After that, the blue packaging was ripped, and a white box was revealed. Everyone besides Itachi and Kisame leaned in, anticipating the contents of the box. Itachi opened the box almost painfully slow. When about fifteen seconds later, the top was removed, a necklace was presented. The uneven heart-shaped pendant was small, but it was elegant. In the middle of the heart, was a ruby-colored stone.

Kisame stared at Itachi a moment, and asked quietly, "Do you like it?" Itachi smiled, and nodded. "Of course." Then, an idea popped into Kisame's mind. They did it in movies, so why the hell not in real life?

"Here. Let me do something."

Kisame took the necklace from the soft padding, and "unlocked" it. He then gently place it on Itachi neck, and locked the tab back into place.

"Aww..." the other Akatsuki members smiled, letting out a quiet sound for Kisame's efforts.

In the end, Itachi received the Moomin mug and sunglasses from Sasori, the necklace from Kisame, a crimson pillow with the words "I AM AWESOME" written in English from Konan, a nail art set from Deidara, a silly black "NERD" hoodie from Pain (although it was summer), the first four manga books of "Bleach" from Hidan, and black headphones with red cushions from Kakuzu.

Let's just say it was an interesting night.

~*~*~10:56 PM~*~*~

"Hidan and I are going," Kakuzu said, opening the door.

"See you, bitches."

"Bye everyone. Happy Birthday Itachi."

The door was closed, but then a voice spoke up.

"SHUT UP FUCK UP KAKUZU!"

The six stared at the door, and another voice spoke up.

"See you too Hidan."

Everyone sweat dropped, and Deidara, Sasori, Kisame, and Itachi went back to playing Bullshit—er, I mean, BS. (3)

"Um, two sevens, un."

"Four sixe—"

"BS!"

Sasori shook his head at Kisame and flipped his cards over. "Four sixes. Sorry Kisame."

"Hey, Danna, shouldn't we go to, un?"

"Oh, yeah. It's kind of late. I guess so."

"Bye Kisame, Itachi, un. Happy Birthday."

"See you. And Happy Birthday Itachi."

They both stood up, and waved goodbye to Kisame and Itachi, moving toward the door.

"Hey, Konan-chan, Pain, Sasori-no-Danna and I are going home too, un," Deidara declared, grabbing the door handle to the exit of the apartment with Sasori right behind her.

"Oh. All right then. Have fun kids."

"What, un?"

Sasori glared at her.

"_Goodnight, Konan_," he said, with a dangerous voice.

"Don't rape Dei-chan."

Deidara blushed, and Sasori fumed.

"Shut the hell up, Konan," Sasori warned.

"Heh heh. Well, see you two later."

"Bye, un."

"See ya."

The door closed firmly, and now four people were left in the apartment.

"Urgh, I'm tired. At least today was a Friday, so we won't have to wake up early and go to school tomorrow." Konan yawned and stretched on the couch as she spoke.

It was eleven, so Itachi decided to go as well.

"Well, I'm going to go. I'll see you later, Konan, Pain," Itachi said goodbye.

"I can take you home, Itachi-san," Kisame suggested, smiling.

"Oh. That's good. Thank you."

"Well, we'll see you two later as well. Happy Birthday Itachi! Bye~" Konan called to the couple, waving goodbye. They waved as well, exiting the apartment, and taking the stairs down to the streets, opposite of the way Deidara and Sasori had gone a minute ago.

The two walked down the quiet, dark road that was illuminated by a few lights. It was silent, almost to a creepy point. Not that it wasn't already creepy at night.

Suddenly, Itachi stopped, and her eyes widened.

"Crap."

"What's wrong?" Kisame questioned.

"My father...it's eleven. He's going to kill me."

Itachi grabbed her phone from her black bag, and woefully dialed the number to her house, and almost instantly, an angry voice picked up.

"_Itachi! Where the hell are you?_"

Her father.

"I'm sorry father. I was at Pain and Konan's, and I lost track of time—" But the man wouldn't even let Itachi finish.

"_Do you understand what time it is? On your birthday even. You should have more responsibility as you age! Your mother is worried sick!_"

"Father, I-"

"_You ungrateful child! I don't even care anymore if you get your ass back here or not! Goodnight!_" Itachi furious father, Fugaku, yelled into the phone, and immediately ended the call. His voice made Itachi flinch, and a quiet "beep beep beep" was heard in the dark path the two walked on.

Kisame stared down at his girlfriend sadly. He noticed she was on the verge of tears, but she was still holding them back. The man stopped, and turned back toward her. His arms went around her, and he pressed her tightly against himself.

"It's alright Itachi...I'm here."

Finally, Itachi let out a quiet sob, and cried into Kisame's shoulder. The blue-skinned man closed his eyes, and silently sighed.

_As much as we're all hated by the world...__at least we still have each other. I'm probably just one of the lucky ones. No one I know would know of Itachi's pain._

But unfortunately, he was wrong. Oh, so, very wrong.

* * *

><p>(1) This is the opening for Naruto on Disney XD now, and it's one of my favorites. Like, my third, after Toumei Datta Sekai and Yura Yura.<p>

(2) Moomin is this dude. I'm sorry. Look him up on google I guess.

(3) If you don't know, BS is a card game. BS is also the initials of one of my guy friends, and ThePowerofTheGio and I like to tease him about it. He was playing the game with his cousins, and they asked him what it stood for, and he just shouted his name. X)


	12. Chapter 12: Sweet Summertime, Begin!

**A/N: **This chapter would've been up earlier today, but I got sidetracked. By Tobidei.

...please don't kill me.

Moving on. I've kept eating tic tacs and grew sick of them today, so now I'm eating marshmallows. It's a funny thing; I don't get fat if I keep eating, but I gain weight if I go away from home. Even if I'm excersing. Even if I'm at cheer camp. *sighs*

Again, thanks for the reviews and favorites. Oh, and before I get to the replies, there was this one person, who made me really happy, yet confused. I don't remember the name, but she favorited me, this story, and put me and my story on her alerts list. All 4 of those things, and...she didn't comment? It kind of confused me. If I'm talking to you, I don't mean to offend you, I just would really like it if you reviewed as well, since you went to the trouble of doing all four of those things. You know, just to get some feedback? :)

Now, to the replies. (oh, mother lord of Jashin, please make the underline work!)

**Kuroui: **Haha, you guess right, my friend. ;) It's okay, you review like almost every single one of my chapters. That was like the first "break" you took. And yes~ Couples. X)

**AkatsukiMemberKyoki: **Yay! New reviewer! :D And Thank you!

**Sasunarufan101: **Dude, you are full of surprises. X) I literally did a knee-slap when you said that line about flirting. That was hilarious. It's okay to be random; I like your randomness. :D As a matter of fact, I enjoy it very much.

**SasoxDei: **...please don't kill me for the above Tobidei thing. xVx But thank you! :D

So, here's a sidetracked Chapter 12.

* * *

><p>Chapter 12: Sweet Summertime, Begin!<p>

First day of Summer Vacation, End of July...

Kisame didn't realize how adorable Itachi could look wearing summer clothes. Apparently Deidara had to help. Thank Jashin. Well, Hidan was rubbing off on him as well.

Starting at the top, the young Uchiha had a side pony that draped over her shoulder. It claimed the bangs on the left side of her face as well, but the bangs on the right side of her face were left unattended. Her outfit carried a simple black tank and green camouflage printed shorts that came to the mid-thigh. Her shoes were sandals that wrapped around the ankle, and finished with a black bow in front. Yep, definitely the work of Deidara. This meant Deidara had to have some muscle to wrestle the Uchiha to get her to wear what she was wearing now. Which was possibly the reason why Itachi was giving death glares at Deidara who was trying to hide behind Sasori.

"Awh! You're mother thinks you look so adorable!" Konan cried, crushing Itachi in a hug.

"Mother, un?" Deidara quirked an eyebrow.

"Yep! We've made a family in the Akatsuki, and I'm the mother, Pain is the father, Kisame's our eldest son, Kakuzu is the remote control, Itachi is our oldest daughter, Sasori is our youngest son, and you Deidara, are the youngest daughter, and Hidan is the manga!"

"Remote control, un?"

"Why the fuck am I manga?"

"Yes. Remote control. And you are the remote control because I said so. Speaking of which, my youngest daughter looks adorable too! But I guess my oldest one's outfit is the workmanship of my younger!" Konan squeezed Deidara into a hug as well.

"Yeah, un. I almost got killed by Itachi trying to dress her, yeah." Itachi flashed a glare at Deidara. "See, un? So hers is a lot simpler than mine."

Deidara's outfit was consisted of a red-colored bear top that had writing like a newspaper, the black letters in English. She was surprised that it actually made sense, because half of those English tops in Japan made no sense. The black knee-length shorts on the lower half of the part-English girl's body had small straps hanging off of it, and it reminded her of skinny cargos. She wore red wedges that had a more of a red-orange color to it, but it still matched her shirt.

"Yup. Ms. Angel Bitch definitely has bigger boobs than Dei," Hidan mused. He was met with two hits to the head and stomach.

Hidan: 0

Girls: 1

"Where the hell are you staring at?" Pain asked, eyes twitching.

"Er...Uh..." Hidan ran behind Kakuzu.

"Get out of there," Kakuzu muttered, ripping Hidan off of his back.

"So, putting that weird moment aside, where are we going today, Konan?" Kisame asked. He was hand-in-hand with Itachi now.

"Well..." Konan pulled out a notepad from her purse. Geez, she had such a housewife attitude. "First," Page flip. "We get to take purikura. Then, we're going to karaoke."

She put the notepad back. Kakuzu gave her a blank face.

"You couldn't just memorize those to things?"

"No. Do you have a problem with that?" she hissed.

Hidan looked at the floor and whispered, "Of fucking course..."

After Konan smashed Hidan into the ground, she stood back up, smiling, and pointing toward the direction of the purikura center. "Shall we go?" she asked, but started walking anyway. You could probably just not follow her, and she wouldn't care. Either that or it was the fact that she just smashed Hidan into the sidewalk. I don't know.

Deidara and Itachi helped peel Hidan off of the pavement in a very anime-like manner—with the magically appearing spatula. After the magic spatula disappeared and Hidan was 3D again, they followed Konan with the others.

"Hidan, if you're getting stuck to the ground just with that, I need to see what happens when Konan really pounds you," Kakuzu taunted.

"Aw, shut the fuck up, you mother bastard."

"Well, what if I said I was born in a test tube?"

"Then, I'd say, YOU LYING MOTHER FUCKER!"

"I can't fuck moms if I was born in a test tube."

Hidan decided to give up. You just can't beat a money whore. Or an insensitive prick. Whichever works.

He stuck his hands in the pocket of his tan-colored cargo pants, aimlessly looking at the unfamiliar structures they passed. It had been about four months since he and Deidara moved to Osaka, but that didn't necessarily mean that one-third of a year was enough time to know every single spot in the city. Actually, it didn't mean that at all.

"Oh, here it is!" Konan cried, breaking Hidan from his view on the buildings and streets.

The entrance was much like the front of Ichiraku, how there were flaps in the entrance, except the ones for the purikura place were made of plastic. There were four flaps in all, each one standing for the symbol to write the word "purikura" in Japanese. (1)

"Kurenai-san! It's Konan!" Konan suddenly called.

There was a desk on the right corner nearest the door, and a woman popped up. She must have been under the chair or something.

"Oh! Konan! Hi darling. I've see you've brought your friends. Hello Akatsuki." the so-called-Kurenai-woman replied, a bright smile on her face.

"Yes, ma'am. Oh, and this is Deidara and Hidan. They moved here from Saitama." Konan gestured toward the two new members.

"Nice to meet you two," Kurenai greeted, shaking both Deidara and Hidan's hand. "Konan's a regular here, so I've known her and the Akatsuki for a while. I'm sure they made a good addition. Now, go one, and have fun with you photos."

Konan lead the way, and she pointed at a purple plastic covered machine. There were at least twenty of them in the small building, but they all varied in colors and designs.

"This one's my favorite, Deidara, Hidan," she proclaimed. "Nagato and I almost always used this one. I think it has the best effects. Now, get in there, and tell me what you think!"

Konan forcefully shoved the two into the photo booth, causing them to land on the floor, face first.

Once off the floor, (courtesy of Konan,) Deidara looked around for the money slot. It wasn't inside, so she walked slightly out of the booth (just slightly, for fear that Konan thought that she was running away,) to find it. Oh! There it was, right on the side.

"Hey, Hidan, un! We're doing two rounds, okay, un? It's 150 yen a round, so you have to pay next, gotcha?"

"Ya ya, just hurry up and put in the fucking money!" Hidan waved his hand sarcastically from inside the booth.

"Meany, un," Deidara mumbled under her breath. She reached from her purse to grab two coins (100 yen and 50 yen coins) from her wallet. Then, the blonde slipped them into the thin slot, and hopped back into the machine. However, just as she got in, a very high pitched voice emitted from the machine. Like, creepy, high pitched.

"HELLO! Please select a statue of your pose. Head...or body? Head...or body? Head...or-"

"Just fucking pick already!"

"Okay, okay, Hidan, shut up, un!"

Deidara pressed the "body" button. "We can to head next time, yeah." Next, the machine called for a background.

"Choose your background."

There were at least one hundred to choose from, but only four shots to pick it with. Deidara chose one with a plain purple screen and a night sky. She liked things kind of simple with Hidan. Hidan chose a black and white striped-patterned one and a complete black one.

"You just love black, don't you, un?"

"Well, you can't fucking say ass. So do you."

"Touché. Now do something, un. It's gonna take the picture, yeah."

"Don't tell me what to fucking do, bitch!"

"Get the hell in the position, un!"

Outside, the Akatsuki sweat dropped. The last two lines from the duo sounded like sex. Almost. Konan and Pain, and Itachi and Kisame were already done; Sasori and Kakuzu were just waiting for their partners to _hurry the fuck up_.

Ten stressful minutes of cursing and threats later, Deidara and Hidan were done. How they were still best friends, no one knew. Konan walked up toward them.

"Show me!" she demanded, taking the pictures from Deidara's hands. There were eight different ones in the bag.

The other Akatsukians look over her shoulder, examining the two's purikura.

"You two look _emo_," Kakuzu said, looking at the one with the completely black one. It was true, for Hidan was wearing a black shirt with a blank rectangle on it and skinny jeans. Obviously in black. His right hand bore a black and white striped fingerless glove. Deidara had the crimson bare top and black pants, and a good smudge of eyeliner on the bottom side of her eye, as well as a line on top.

"I agree," Sasori added, nodding his head.

"I like this one," Konan commented, pulling out one with a rainbow. "Although it kind of contradicts that one."

"Thanks, un."

"Whatever."

Konan gestured toward Sasori and Kakuzu. "Alright then, partner time! Have fun. And don't kill each other. _Please._ Especially you, Kakuzu. I'm watching." The bluenette made the two fingers and pointed at her eyes, then at Kakuzu's.

"Great, un! Danna, let's go~!" Deidara dragged a possibly happy Sasori down toward another photo booth.

"Let's go, dumb squash."

"What the fuck did you call me?"

"Dumb squash. Now get your heathen ass moving."

"You little fucking-"

That was the last thing they heard before Kakuzu shoved Hidan into another photo booth.

Sasori and Deidara came out about ten minutes later, and everyone had to wait for another fifteen for Kakuzu and Hidan to come out, but they were still trying to kill each other.

Sasori's and Deidara's purikura had looked perfectly fine—just the same as two friends taking purikura. Well, I guess that what it actually was. But obviously, it just wasn't enough for Konan. Then, her thoughts were broken off by screaming and shouting.

"What'd you call me you little son of a bitch?"

"I'm taller than you. And I called you a moronic ass."

"You're asking for a knuckle sandwich to the mouth, asshole!"

"Come and get me!"

Deidara leaned over toward Sasori. "They're getting along well, un."

"I must admit, love is blooming." You couldn't tell if that was sarcasm or not.

"Well, Kakuzu is bi," Itachi stated.

"Really, un? I didn't know that."

"Give the-"

"Don't even, _Sasori_."

"**GAH!**"

The six Akatsuki members turned their heads to see Hidan crawling up Kakuzu's back, pulling at his hair.

"Get off of me!"

"Then take that back, mother fucker!"

"You're calling me worse names! Now get the hell off of me!"

"Shut the fuck up!"

Needless to say, they didn't go sing at the karaoke place that afternoon.

* * *

><p>(1) If you are wondering, in Japanese "Purikura" is written: プリクラ<p>

And since I'm too lazy to, if you don't know what purikura is, go look it up. I'm too lazy to tell you.


	13. Chapter 13: Behind the Cemetery

**A/N: **I guess this chapter can be taken as Sasodei in a couple of ways. But honestly, I don't really like the chapter. The ending sentences took forever, and I changed it at least twenty times. So, I'm sorry if it seems like a crappy chapter to you. I got the Sasori thing from Ouran Host Club's Kaoru and Hikaru's past, but I was watching funny stuff while writing, so it didn't turn out how angry I wanted him to be.

Moral: Only listen to music while writing stories.

Thank you for the reviews!

**Sasunarufan101: **Yes. Emo Hidan=Sexy beast. Well, an even more sexy beast. He's pretty hot already. :D And O.o How many times _have_ you told Hidan not to have smex in photobooths? Well, they have this place called Seiyu that's run by Walmart. So I guess I could do the 101 things there. ;)

**glitterthorn: **I kind of imagine Kakuzu yelling at Hidan telling him that he sucks at singing and Hidan hitting him with the microphone. :)

**Kuroui: **Heck, even the author doesn't know if he was kidding or not. ^^'

So, here's the half-assed chapter. :D

* * *

><p>Chapter 13: Behind the Cemetery<p>

Deidara fell to her knees, and shut her eyes. She put her hands together, palm against palm. The thumbs of her hands barely brushed at her bottom lip. With all preparations done, she began speaking.

"Mom...I'm sorry I haven't been able to come here for a while. I don't think I really have an excuse. But today...I just really wanted to speak to you, un. I've been...alright. But I could be better, I guess, yeah."

Deidara paused, thinking of her next words.

"I miss you. So much, yeah. But, everything's been getting better. After I've moved here, I've made friends. I'm not too sure about what to think of them, but they're all together, and in the group, it doesn't matter if you're a girl or a boy. It's all the same, un. Pain's the leader of the Akatsuki, yeah. That's what they called it. It's a private club at school, un. He's stupid, but he's kind. Konan's like a big sister to me, un. She's pushy and gets really excited easily, but she's a great person. Kakuzu...he's rude, but he's been getting along with Hidan, yeah. But it's more of a hate-love kind of friendship. Oh, and Hidan's came here with me, un. I don't think I could ever ask for anyone...who really and truly cares about me more, yeah. And about that boy I was dating...he...didn't believe anything, un. He thought I was lying, and said that that was the reason that..."

She sniffled, a small tear falling onto the grassy ground.

"But, anyway...there's Zetsu and Kisame, un. They're both born with strange colors, but nobody ever makes fun of them, and Kisame is even dating this girl named Itachi, yeah. I don't know what to think of her, but I guess she's okay. And lastly, there's Sasori-no-Danna, hmmm. The first thing we did when we met was argue about our terms on art, yeah. We might have different opinions, but...I've never seen anyone so passionate about art like I am, yeah. The world is full of wannabes and posers, but he treats art like life, as I do, yeah. We went into the art room before school started a bunch of times, and it was...really fun. He's not the nicest person in the world, but he and I live close, so we've been able to hang out a lot, yeah. It's really nice."

Deidara closed both eyes tighter, and wiped the visible one.

"And dad...he's changed so much after you..." Deidara couldn't bring herself to finish that sentence. "I don't blame you for what's happening, but sometimes, I just can't take it, yeah."

Deidara opened her eyes, then stood up. "I guess that's all I have to say for now, yeah." She put her hand on the stone.

"I love you, un."

"Deidara."

The blonde whipped around at the sound of voice. Her long, blonde hair withered in the wind, settling back onto her back as she stilled.

"Sasori-no-Danna!" she cried, surprised. Suddenly, she remembered what she had said, and she blushed a little bit. "How long have you been standing there, un?"

Sasori walked away from the tree. His rich, crimson-colored hair floated to his left, and the wind picked up the spare leaves and grasses around them. The male stuck his left thumb in his left pocket, while clutching an assortment of flowers in his other hand. He smirked a bit.

"About from the part with Itachi."

Deidara's face turned a little redder. "Wh-what are you here for, yeah?"

Sasori rolled his eyes. "Isn't it obvious? It's just the same thing as you." He held out the bouquet, and walked passed Deidara. The crunches of the grass underneath his feet lead Deidara to another stone nearby.

In it, was carved, "IN MEMORY OF: SHOUJI AND RIKA AKASUNA

"Your parents, un?"

"Yes." Sasori answer was simple. However, he wasn't done. "They were both in the army. Killed."

"I'm sorry, yeah." Deidara had nothing to apologize for, but there was nothing else to say.

Sasori crouched down on one knee, setting the bouquet of flowers down on the platform of stone the grave stood on.

"What about you?" he asked quietly.

"What do you mean, yeah?" Deidara was confused.

"Yours. What happened?"

Deidara nodded, understanding what Sasori wanted to know. She got down to her knees next to Sasori. "My mom...she died in a crash. But, I don't know exactly what happened. I was being naïve, oblivious...I think I could've prevented it."

Deidara yelped a bit when Sasori knuckled her head lightly.

"Idiot."

"Huh?"

His face was annoyed and passive. "Don't even think about blaming yourself for her dying. I have no idea what the hell happened, but just...don't..."

Deidara looked at the floor. "Okay...un."

Sasori closed his eyes and put his hands together. Before he could start, Deidara spoke, "Do you want me to pray with you, yeah?"

He cracked open an eye. "Do whatever you want." It closed again.

Deidara did the same, setting her hands in the same position as Sasori and bringing it up close to herself. Her eyes shut.

Sasori began. His voice was barely audible and low.

"Mother...father...I'm back. This is Deidara, my new partner. She's similar to me; interested in art. She's passionate about it, but she can be really annoying."

Deidara frowned at that.

"I don't have much to say, but the old hag's been trying to get in touch with me so much now. I really hate it. I wish she would go away. Sorry you had to listen to that. Bye mother, father."

Sasori stood up, hands at his sides and eyes open. In the twenty seconds that Sasori made his prayer, Deidara was able to see the soft side of his.

"Why do you hate your grandmother so much, hmmm?" Deidara asked. It was a question that boggled in her mind since she first "met" her.

The red head was silent for a moment. Then, "She lied to me. For over a year. My parents were supposed to come back. But then she told me that they were sent off to war again. But they were actually dead."

"How old were you, yeah? When this happened."

"Five when they died. Six when I found out."

Deidara looked at the floor. "Life...just really isn't fun, un?"

Sasori shook his head. "No. Not at all."

Deidara sighed, and turned her head upward. The sun was bright, almost too bright. It made her squint. The summer breeze didn't cool them off, it just brought uncomfortable heat to their bodies, which caused them both to start sweating.

"It's hot, yeah."

"It's summer."

Deidara didn't have anything to say back. Then, Sasori began to walk. With a quick command of "Follow me," Deidara sauntered passed the cemetery as well.

She had never been to the other side of the city of the dead. To be honest, she was scared to go into it. It was dark, unlike where the actual gravestones were located, and it gave her the creeps. But she followed Sasori into it anyway. If he knew where he was going, then he must've been here before.

"Scared?"

Deidara looked up to see Sasori smirking at her. She knew that taunting smirk.

"Of...of course not, hmmm!" she defensively yelled, clenching her hands into fists. "I've...I just haven't been here before."

"Sure..." Sasori slurred, waving a hand over his shoulder. "Even if you're freaked out, it doesn't matter. There's something right past in here that I want to show someone else but myself."

"So, you're lonely, yeah?"

"Nothing like that," he lied.

Then Deidara saw it. The end of the dark, scary woods. It was shallower than it appeared, and where they had gotten was the end of the woods. The place couldn't be more than 100 meters in diameter.

But...

"Holy shit, un."

Sasori put his hands in his cargo pants. "That was my first reaction too. I haven't seen anything like this before."

It was pure perfection. Art. Well, maybe not in their sense, but...in a different way. The lush meadow of tall, thick grass covered the ground for the 100 meters, but in the middle was about a 20 meter waterfall. The water fell fast around the multiple stones and rocks, and there was a quiet "Shhhhhhhhhh..." sound.

"How did you find out about here, yeah?" Deidara asked. She looked around, examining every bit of the beauty.

"It was where we held the first Akatsuki meeting."

Sasori jumped over up onto a rock in the river of the waterfall. "There are exactly ten rocks here. The maximum number of members in the organization is ten people exactly. So, this was why we chose here." His eyes looked toward another one, and he pointed with his forefinger. "Over there. Stand."

Deidara raised an eyebrow, but she understood, so she jumped up on the signaled stone. "Is this mine, hmmm?"

"For now. It's what we'll do with."

The blonde balanced on the rock with one foot. "Ah. Hey, Sasori no Danna. How did you join the Akatsuki, yeah?"

Sasori looked up. "It wasn't an easy feat. Well, at least for Pain and Konan." His eyes shut again as he began talking.

_It was in my third year at middle school. Then, I had been going to Amegakure Middle. I knew Pain and Konan from my first year, but I hadn't met him in person. They were quite a popular duo in their second year._

_But it was about two months before I had graduated on that day..._

"_My name is Pain. I believe you are Akasuna Sasori?"_

_The third-year named Sasori looked up. "Yes. I've heard of you before. What do you want?" He pushed his math textbook into his brown bag._

_As a middle schooler, his uniform was different from the upperclassman. A high collar that wrapped around his neck closely that bloomed from a white, gold-laced jacket. The slacks were the same white, but the shoes were black._

"_Oh, is that anyway to treat your upperclassman?" Pain cried, extra drama added to his voice. Of course, he was just kidding. But not really. But seriously. "I've formed a club, and you caught my interest, as well as my friend."_

"_What's this club, and why should I even consider it?" _

_I had no hope for Pain at first. I hated him at first. How he would talk to me nonchalantly, how he never took anything so seriously. I thought he would never understand the pain I felt._

"_I named it Akatsuki," Pain exclaimed, a grin across his face. "It's just a get-together type of gang. I researched a little bit about you, and I think I might be able to help you."_

_Sasori snorted. "__**Help **__me? Don't be ridiculous."_

_Pain shrugged. "Well, I've heard rumors, and from as many I heard, I consider them to be true. You pull yourself away from people, and as much as they could like you, your feelings would never be mutual with them. I don't understand. What's the entire deal? If you don't learn to befriend people, you'll never be able to get into society. There's no pathway out, and we can't go on alone. If you're lonely, then—"_

_A fist smashed on the desk, cutting the auburn-haired man from anything he was going to say next. Sasori's fist shook, and he glared harshly._

"_What the hell would you know? There's not a single person in this world I could trust but myself! There's no reason to put yourself out there when you don't gain anything from it! I've put my heart into things, until they're shattered away!"_

_I hated everyone. And everything. After the old hag had lied to me, I couldn't trust anyone anymore. It's different now, but I still can't bring myself to forgive __**her**__._

_Pain glanced at a pad that was unpacked on Sasori's desk. "What's this?" he asked, taking it into his own hands._

_Sasori seethed. "Don't touch it!" he snarled, warning the man. However, the man was unfazed, and began flipping through pages._

"_This..." Sasori jumped for it, but unsuccessfully missed._

"_It's your art," Pain whispered. "I've heard about it. You never let anyone see this book. I understand why." He put it back down._

"_You're lonely." The man smirked._

"_No."_

"_Now you're just in denial."  
><em>

_Sasori folded his arms over his chest. "What do you know? Everytime I try to trust someone, they let me down."_

_Pain now just smiled. _

_The evening sun danced on his face, lighting his top half as he stepped closer. "I've been through that. That's where I met Konan. She meant everything to me, she was someone who knew my pain. Thus, I became I attached to her. We both have no parents, and you don't either, am I correct?"_

_Sasori's fist clenched and unclenched. He couldn't argue with it, but hell would freeze over before he admitted it._

"_It's an honor," Pain said. "Just come behind the cemetery of Kuro, behind the forest. There's a waterfall behind there. On the twenty-first. You won't be disappointed." He set a small piece of paper on the desk, and left the classroom. The door made a clatter sound._

"_What the hell just happened?" he asked himself. Or no one._

"And you just went, yeah?" Deidara asked, very puzzled. But then again, that was Pain's style. Not accepting "No" as an answer, that is.

"Yep. I'm not going to say he has some magical power to change people like those sappy manga, but I can say that he understands me. And he was right. I guess I did find someone else that can understand."

Deidara smiled lightly, knowing he was referring to her. "Oh, but you have much more to learn about me, yeah."

"Well, let's hear it."

"Maybe another time, yeah. Maybe another time."

Deidara hopped off of the rock, and Sasori followed.

"But for now, let's go have some fun, yeah. Tag, you're it, un!" Deidara touched Sasori's arm, and ran back toward the cemetery. (Weird...)

Sasori smirked, and shook his head. Without warning, he tackled Deidara toward the grass.

_Pain faced everyone. But it was optional to suffer from it._


	14. Chapter 14: The Date

**A/N: **So I wanted to do this before I went to cheer practice today. And since I didn't proof read it, there might be quite an amount of mistakes. Not that there already are in this story. But I promise I'll fix _all _of them in every chapter when I get back, because I've been wanting to for a while now.

I have to go in three minutes, so I can't put up the replies now! I'm sorry! Well, have a good day and here's your chapter 14! X)

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><p>Chapter 14: The Date<p>

"Dammit, Itachi, un! Hold still!" Deidara shouted, grabbing the Uchiha's shoulder to keep her from squirming. "And keep your eye open, un! You're going to make me poke it out, hmmm!...Okay, done! Finally, un!"

Itachi looked at herself in the mirror. "Deidara, you have got to be kidding." She was disgusted—she looked _cute_, even to herself.

"Well, it's what Kisame would _want_ you to look like, un. So you might as well give him a nice time, even if it's just the outfit, yeah. Although I bet he _would_ prefer you naked."

Deidara got slapped on the head for that.

"Okay, I kind of deserved that, un. But I promise, Kisame will _love it_! Right Konan-chan?"

Konan nodded. She was sprawled across the bed, wearing black shorts and a pink tank top. "Itachi, no man can resist that outfit. Except for Pain, Kakuzu, Hidan, and Sasori."

"Kakuzu and Hidan?"

"They're gay. Well, Kakuzu's bi."

"Ah. I get it."

"Wait, Sasori, un?" Deidara asked, raising a brow.

"Artistic duo, equals love!" Konan answered, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Well, at least to Konan it was.

"Sure, whatever, un." Deidara rolled her eyes. She looked back at Itachi, who was examining herself in the mirror. "It's fine, yeah! Quit messing it up!" She slapped Itachi's hands away from her hair.

"I don't like it."

"But Kisame will, and then you will too!"

"I still don't like it."

"Just get out of here, and go meet your boyfriend, un!"

That was the last thing Deidara said before Itachi was literally thrown out of the house.

The raven-haired girl picked herself up from the ground, and brushed the dust off of herself. With another quick, "I look ridiculous," she walked off toward the train station, where she and Kisame were to meet.

~*~*~At the Train Station~*~*~

Kisame looked at his watch. He hadn't seen Itachi yet, which immediately mean that he was early. If you told Itachi a time, she would arrive exactly then. He took a look at his own outfit—a black baggy shirt with random gold words and white cargo pants. It was nothing fancy, just a normal outing. Well, a date. He didn't really have a point to dress up any fancier than he did on a regular basis.

It was simple. It was a one-on-one, with just some...cuddling...and flirting...and holding hands...and kissing...and—

_WOAH KISAME. TOO FAR. TOO FAR. _He clutched his head in shame.

Actually, no, it would be too far if he thought of Itachi na—

_SHUT THE HELL UP, ME!_

"Kisame? What the hell are you doing?"

Well, that was definitely the best greeting from your date.

"Nothing, Itachi-san," he covered up quickly. "So...uh..."

"Ready to go?" she asked, nonchalantly.

Kisame shrugged. "I don't see why not."

Itachi looked up. "Anyway, where _are_ we going?"

The blue-skinned man fidgeted. "Well, I was thinking we could go just go to the park or something..."

The raven-head frowned for a moment, but gave a very very very very very small smile. "I also don't see why not."

They walked away from the train station, their hands barely touching. It was their second date, but still, even Itachi was kind of nervous. Kisame peered at his right, of where Itachi sauntered, glimpsing at her outfit. His eyes turned back quickly, not wanting to get caught checking out his girlfriend. Then again, she _was_ his girlfriend. So he kind of had a right. But still, he was above getting killed by a girl. No doubt Itachi was stronger than Konan when it came to bashing someone to the floor.

When he saw what Itachi was wearing, he immediately knew it was the work of a certain artist and another girl. No, the artist was not Sasori. At least, I don't think he's a girl. _ANYWAY! _With what Itachi was wearing, there was no way she would have picked it out of herself. Her outfit consisted of a _frilly _camisole and a short jeans skirt. And he _knew_ Itachi _absolutely refused_ to wear anything frilly. He wondered how the hell they got her to wear such a _girl_ outfit.

"It's Deidara and Konan's fault," Itachi suddenly said, as if she read his mind. "It's fine, I don't like it either."

Kisame's eyes widened and he vigorously shook his head. "No, no, no! It's not that at all! I...I...honestly really like it!" He put his hands in front of him in a "I surrender" position as Itachi stared at him. _Please don't kill me..._

Itachi looked away. Wait, was that a _blush_ on the Uchiha's face? "Well...then that's good. At least...I hadn't gone through a date with the complete embarrassment of wearing something so out of my character."

Kisame patted the Uchiha's head. "Nothing's embarrassing. C'mon. If it's for me, at least."

Itachi rolled her eyes. "Hn."

When they reached the park, it was three. PM stupids. Not AM. Jashin.

Young children swung on swings, climb on bars, some teens talked on swings, some children were bullying others, and the adults were talking in a couple of groups, or attending their children.

Itachi seethed. "I _don't_ like little children..." she muttered, folding her arms across her chest.

"You were a child at one time you know," Kisame pointed out, putting his hands in his front pockets. They walked along the sidewalk that left the large playground, shifting through grass and trees.

"I know. But I wasn't as loud an annoying like they are." She had a point there. Itachi had always been a quiet, studious child.

They continued walking, talking about anything that came to their minds.

"What's wrong with pudding?"

"It's squishy."

"So are people's butts."

"_Kisame_."

"Sorry."

It was quiet for a while, just the two enjoying the scenery around the park. Large trees grew toward the sidewalk (although it was in the middle) and there were a few "groups" of flowers sprouting around as well. Small, thin weeds sprouted from the cracks of the square block pavement.

"UWAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

Itachi and Kisame both flinched harshly as they heard the scream. They knew the person wasn't far away—it had practically just burst their eardrums. It continued, and Kisame looked at Itachi.

"We need to shut that thing up," Itachi mumbled.

Kisame nodded. He was thinking the same thing. The two looked for the screaming voice behind the trees and bushes with no luck. It still continued, but a couple of sobs could be heard after each scream. Even children have to breathe, you know.

"I found him, Kisame!" Itachi shouted.

Kisame peered up from where he was looking (which was in a bush) to see his raven-haired girlfriend holding a small child.

"Shh...Sh...what's wrong, dear?"

"Uuu...uhh...my...mommy..."

"What about your mom?" As much as Kisame could tell Itachi was kind of irritated, she used a gentle motherly voice.

"I...I...can't..." Sob. "F-fi-find her..."

Itachi's eyes even softened. "Do you know where you saw her last?"

"The...the...pwaygwound..."

"Okay. Then let's go to the playground, alright? We'll look for your mommy there." Itachi turned her head a little backward. "Kisame, let's go."

Kisame nodded. It was very surprising how willing Itachi was to help this child. The little boy was about three or four. Five at most.

It wasn't a long way back, at least for the two teens. Itachi carried the boy in her arms, gently rocking him back and forth to calm him down.

"Do you see your mommy?" she asked, putting him down.

"Umm..." The boy put a finger in his mouth. "OH! Dere she is!" He pointed with his wet finger at a woman near the bench. She looked anxious. "!"

The woman looked up, startled. Then, her eyes widened. "Ikuto!" she screamed, rushing toward her child. "How many times have I told you _not_ to leave mommy's sight!"

The boy looked down. "I'm sowwy. But mommy, these two bwought me back! Tank you!"

The woman hugged her child and cradled him in her arms like Itachi had. "Thank you very much! Ikuto-kun gets lost so often, and I get worried sick whenever I can't find him."

"It was nothing, ma'am."

When all was settled, and Itachi and Kisame had gotten back on the sidewalk that was in the middle of the woods, Kisame decided to tell Itachi his observation.

"You aren't all that cold, Itachi-san."

Itachi looked up at him. "It was just out of impulse," she argued.

"You never do anything out of impulse."

Itachi gave him a blank look, but Kisame just chuckled. "Still, that was very sweet." He gently kissed her forehead.

She turned red, but held his hands so he wouldn't go. "Th...thank you." Itachi stood on the tip of her toes to reach the second-year's lips, and she pushed slightly against them. "By the way, that's a _real_ kiss, Kisame."

Kisame smirked. "Oh, is that so?"

Itachi glared at him before he could pounce on her in public. No way in hell that would happen.


	15. Chapter 15: Getting Kicked out of Seiyu

**A/N: **Hmm...so I'm not sure if this is a good chapter. :/ Crack is harder to make when you are purposely making it crack. But you will get to hear Kakuzu in a bra! :D

And right now...I'm like, super, freaking happy. Why? Because, two weeks after school starts, I get to go to a fucking Anime convention! :DDD The actual A-Con came near where I live about a month ago, but I didn't go, because, what's the point of going if you don't cosplay? Seriously. This is a smaller a-con, but I'm going to go and cosplay as Deidara. My hair is naturally black, but it's been getting brunette for some strange reasons, but it's just mostly on the ends.

So my mom's making me an Akatsuki cloak because she's awesome like that, and I'm looking for a fishnet shirt. If anyone finds one, I will...uh...make you a story? X) But still, I'm really happy. I'm going with ThePoweroftheGio, her sister (aka my "wife), one of my Asian guy friends who's going as Sasuke, my sister, and possibly another guy who might be forced do go as Mitsukuni Honey from Ouran HSHC.

Anyway, so I'm happy about that.

So, back to the writing stuff. If you do spot grammatical errors, please tell me. I always have to read my stories on my iTouch because it feels different when I read it on my computer, but that means it's night. And I'm not exactly allowed on my computer at night. DX

To the Reviewers! You make my days.:

**AkatsukiMemberKyoki: **Thank you! Oh, and I added that just for a little amusement. I just kind of think that Kisame's more of the innocent type of seme. ;)

**SasoxDei****:** Just one of those nice times. :)

**glitterthorn: **Awz, thank you!

**demitia-notAhumanbeing****: **It's your first? *small gasp* Thank you though!

**Sasunarufan101: **Kisaita is cute. :3 - I love that face too. X) And yes. Hidan=Perv in my mind. :D

So, here is your next chapter. Thank you to Sasunarufan101 for the idea! Oh...ah shit, I forgot about the guns and anti-depressants. DAMMIT!

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><p>Chapter 15: 100 Ways to get kicked out of Seiyu<p>

Last Week of Summer Vacation: August

Hidan shoved on his pair of studded black sunglasses.

"Why are we here again?" a voice asked.

"_Because_ we want to see how long it takes for us to get kicked out!"

"Is that why we're in the next city's Seiyu?"

"Yes. Well, we want to go back to the one in ours at least, right?"

"I don't even know why I went through with this."

"Hidan why are you hiding your eyeliner with your sunglasses?"

"I'm _not_ fucking hiding it! I just fucking love these asstastic sunglasses! They're fucking awesome!"

"Sure. You're just insecure that you're a guy wearing eyeliner."

"Shut your fucking mouth, prick!"

It was epic. If you think the same way I do. Itachi wore green ripped shorts and a red t-shirt (possibly the work of herself), Kisame's top consisted of a bright orange plaid button-down-the-front shirt and dark blue jeans, Deidara had a 30 Seconds to Mars shirt(1) that was obviously too-big with dark red shorts, Sasori's outfit bore a...okay, I'm bored now.

To put it simply, it was an epic scene of clothing if you looked at the eight. First you'd see black, then you'd see purple, then yellow, oh Jashin, it looked like a gigantic mesh of colors. If that would be epic to you. If it isn't, I'm deeply sorry. Psh, of course I'm not.

"Hidan, do you have it?" Konan asked. Her outfit was one of the simpler ones, jean shorts and a yellow tight shirt that showed her curves. And believe me, that woman was pretty sexy.

"Of course I fucking do!" Hidan replied, pulling a folded piece of paper out of his pocket. "This was supposed to be for Walmart, but since Seiyu is owned by that fucking company, there's no fucking reason not to do it here."

"Is this-?" Kisame looked at the title.

"Fuck yes."

_100 ways to get kicked out of Seiyu_

Sasori shook his head. "You have _got _to be kidding me."

"Nope! And you're going to do it too, you fucking jackass!"

Sasori clucked his tongue in disapproval, but there would be no escape from this.

"Okay, you guys ready, un?" Deidara questioned. She was quite enticed about this, but a little nervous.

"It doesn't fucking matter! The first one's..."

"Go into the changing room and after a couple minutes yell 'HEY! THERE'S NO TOILET PAPER IN HERE!'," Pain finished.

They all looked at each other, wondering who would speak up first.

"I'll fucking do it, you fucking pansies," Hidan muttered. "Now, you guys need to do the next one—because I'm not fucking doing this alone! Got it fuckers?"

They all nodded. The silver-haired teen threw the paper at Konan, and she caught it with two fingers. The Akatsuki watched Hidan walk away with a little annoyance still caught in him.

They gazed at the changing room he got into, waiting for how long he would stall until he did the deed. And just like the words, a minute later, he shouted,

"HEY! WHAT THE FUCK? THERE'S NO FUCKING TOILET PAPER IN HERE!"

The cashier that had the check-out closest to the changing rooms looked scarred. Not that the other customers didn't.

Deed done, Hidan exited the changing room, getting very scared glances. "EW! You're so disgusting!" was once heard, and Hidan just smirked with triumph, returning to his friends. He pretended to wipe dust off of his hands, smacking them together multiple times. "So, what the fuck's next?"

"When an announcement comes over the speaker, yell—" Pain was cut off.

"CASHIER NEEDED IN 2ND FLOOR IN GIRLS' CLOTHING. REPEAT, CASHIER NEEDED IN 2ND FLOOR IN GIRLS' CLOTHING. ANY FREE CASHIERS PLEASE COME TO THE 2ND FLOOR."

"NO! NOOOOOOOOOO! IT'S THOSE VOICES AGAIN!"

Deidara and Konan laughed, loving Pain's dramatic voice and hand motions as he screamed the words. The customers around them looked at them like they were crazy. Wait, they were. So I guess it didn't really matter.

"That was a fucking good one, Pain-in-the-ass," Hidan complimented. "Third one's put on a bra and ask a woman if it's on right."

"Itachi, Konan, Pain, Hidan, and I are out that means, un. Since Pain and Hidan already did theirs for this round, and Itachi, Konan-chan, and I are girls."

"I vote Kakuzu!"

"Me too!"

"Fuck you all..." Kakuzu muttered.

"Well, this is the lady's section here, un. Let's go find the bras, yeah!"

Deidara grabbed Kakuzu arm, and pulled him to find the undergarments.

"You boys can come too," Konan said, following Deidara. By her side was Itachi. "Just don't drool too long—holy shit! Kakuzu!"

They all turned the corner around the pole...to see Kakuzu in a pink, lacy bra.

"Holy mother fucking Jashin..." Hidan swore.

Kisame fell on the floor, clutching his stomach. Kakuzu looked quite pissed with the adorable bra over his clothes.

"Shut the hell up Kisame."

"Hey, un! Now go ask that lady over there if it's on properly, yeah! I mean, I did it, so it _is_ on properly, but just go!" Deidara shoved Kakuzu toward the woman.

The Akatsuki waited quietly, waiting to laugh at the right time.

Kakuzu approached the woman who was facing the other woman. With the last of his dignity, he tapped the woman's shoulder. "Excuse me miss..." The woman turned around.

"But is this on properly?"

Even Sasori started laughing. They clutched their stomachs as Kakuzu was struck with a purse. Almost immediately, he ran back, desperately hoping for some protection.

"DEIDARA! Get this thing the hell off of me now," Kakuzu hissed, turning his back to Deidara so she could pull off the bra.

She unclipped the two hooks, and held the bra up. "Who wants it, un?" she yelled, but tossed it over her shoulder. That girl had lost her dignity as well. The bra landed on a hunky man's face twenty meters away. Good thing he didn't see who threw it.

"Alright, four, un."

"Go to the changing rooms and start making sex noises," Sasori finished.

"Pain, Hidan, and Kakuzu are out."

"So we can't have Konan if we don't have Pain."

"I vote Itachi and Kisame!" Konan shouted.

Itachi glared at her, giving a signal that she was not doing it even if her life depended on it. Konan sighed irritably, and looked at Sasori and Deidara.

"Itachi won't do it. So you two. Go."

"With the brat? I don't think so."

"No way, un! I won't-!"

Itachi shoved them into the still-near-changing rooms and shut the door. "Have fun," she taunted, leaning against the door so they wouldn't get out.

Deidara fell onto the floor from the impact. "Well, we really don't have a choice, do we, un?" she asked, sighing.

"Nope. Itachi's out the door, and she's stronger than she looks."

"Dammit, un."

"Hurry the fuck up!" Hidan shouted, banging on the door.

"Hidan! Quit that."

"Shut the fuck up, weasel!"

"OHHHH~~"

"Hey, they started," Kakuzu whispered.

"Shit Dei, you're so tight~"

"Oh~ Oh~ Danna~ Ahn!"

Deidara struggled not to laugh, and Sasori even let out a low chuckle.

Outside, a cashier stared with large eyes at the changing rooms. It was the same poor cashier from a moment ago. The man stared at the teens in front of the dressing room, then at the actual room.

"Da-Danna! Oh~ Ah! Mmm~ Ah-ah-ah!" Deidara pretended to let out breathy moans, while Sasori continued to chuckle and let out "appreciative" groans.

About ten seconds later, Itachi stopped blocking the door, allowing the two to exit. There wasn't one person who wasn't staring at them.

"Never make me do that again, un."

"If you do, we'll kill you," Sasori warned.

Suddenly, the cashier at the register grabbed a broom from behind him. His eyes were full of rage, and he was trembling a little. In a large voice, he bellowed,

"GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!"

A man began sprinting toward them, and the Akatsuki all began laughing while running for their lives. They had barely done any of the 100 things, but what the heck.

Summer was the best.

"Oh yeah, and just to let you guys know, I really fucking pissed in that changing room."

* * *

><p>(1) 30 Seconds to Mars is popular worldwide. ;) Also, Deidara used to live in America. Let's pretend.<p> 


	16. Chapter 16: Back to School

**A/N: **This is super short, but it holds an important meaning in this story. It's actually the start of one of the most important things in this story. There is a cliff hanger at the end, and I am debating whether to update tomorrow or Sunday. I'm going out of town for one day on Saturday, and I have to wake up at six, so well, it's up to you guys if you want the update on Saturday morning or Sunday.

Again, thank you for the reviews, you do not know how happy they make me.

**glitterthorn: **Me neither! :D Well, my mom would probably boot me, actually. Oh~ True...We do wear bras under. X)

**SasoxDei****: **Well...it's 100 ways to get kicked out of Seiyu... ;) lol

**AkatsukiMemberKyoki: **Oh Jashin, seriously? I'm so happy...

**Sasunarufan101****: **Kisame probably would have. X) Oh, but Kisame didn't do one either. If I was a worker there...I dunno. I probably would have chased them with a broomstick.

* * *

><p>Chapter 16: Back to School<p>

Hidan twirled a pencil in his hand, bored out of his wits. Not that he had any. A crumpled piece of paper flew his way, hitting him on the head. The silver-head snarled, and looked around.

Itachi was staring at him when Hidan caught the girl's eyes. She immediately went back to her notes for class.

Hidan fanned his face, opening the note with one hand. Jashin dammit, when was it going to be fall? It was so fucking hot, even after summer vacation. He groaned quietly, the finally fully opening the note.

_I: As much as you will be surprised to hear this, I am actually bored. It's our first day back, and I can't concentrate. Our stupid teacher doesn't even realize that half the students are passing notes. Oh, and Hidan. Pass this onto Deidara. Make sure she's not sleeping._

After grumbling something incoherent, Hidan wrote on the paper, and legitimately threw it at Deidara, waking her up. The girl shot up, and glanced at the paper in front of her before looking at Hidan. His grin and thumbs up signified that he had thrown the paper. She opened the paper, reading it in her head.

_H: Dei! Wake the fuck up! _

Deidara grumbled under her breath, continuing the note.

This continued for the next two hours, until the school day ended.

~*~*~Outside, After School~*~*~

Sasori advance outside the school, his black bag strapped over his shoulder. He groaned, and tossed the love letters from his hand into the garbage can. The red head wasn't being cold; he was just doing what he did on a usual basis. Almost everyday, he would be greeted with disgusting cards in his desk, filled with annoying messages from annoying girls. He thought a moment, and remembered Itachi's little brother, Sasuke, from when he was a third year and Sasuke was a first in middle school.

That boy had fangirls _everywhere_ he went. There was no possible way to be alone sometimes for that boy. Sasori felt a little bad for him.

"Hey, Iwakatsu!"

Sasori turned around, seeing Deidara walked out of the school, with second year Itou Hideaki from class A rushing after her. Sasori knew him. He was an okay guy, and was pretty smart. But of course, not as smart as him.

"Yes, Itou-kun?"

Deidara had met Hideaki on the third day of school, saying how she thought that he was quite nice.

"Um...well...We met over summer a couple of times and...I know it's on the day school started back again, so this might be a little soon, but..."

Oh. This tension. Sasori remembered it.

"I was wondering...urh, well, will you go out with me?"

Deidara looked a little stunned for a moment. Then her face softened, and she gave a sad smile.

"I'm sorry, Itou-kun. I have someone I really like. But, maybe...we could try sometime, yeah? I'd like to get to know you better, un."

Sasori frowned. He didn't get it. This was the second time that Deidara turned someone down since coming to Shinobi High. It was also the second time someone confessed to her.

"Oh...okay then..." Hideaki looked disappointed, but it's not as if that wasn't going to happen. Sasori felt a little bad for the guy.

"We can...still be friends, un?" Deidara offered. She didn't want to hurt the poor boy's feelings too much.

Hideaki nodded. "Okay then. Well, I guess I'll catch you later, Iwa-chan?"

The blonde smiled at the nickname. "Yeah. Bye, un!"

Hideaki walked the opposite way of Deidara, and the first year slowly stepped over toward Sasori. It was then that Sasori noticed Konan and Pain were behind him, as well as Hidan and Kakuzu. Itachi and Kisame's whereabouts were unknown at the moment.

"How long have you all been here?" he asked, his voice harsher than he had intended.

"For a while," was the only answer he got. And it was from Hidan. He didn't even swear.

Deidara took interest into the ground as she walked over. She stopped in front of Hidan, and put her forehead on his shoulder. Konan and Sasori's eyes widened when they heard a sob.

She was crying.

Hidan lightly wrapped his arms around the girl. "Aw, c'mon. Don't fucking cry." He patted her back, trying to calm her down.

"Dei-chan? Oh...Dei-chan...what's wrong, darling?" Konan asked, worry covering her features.

"I...I lied to him, un..." Deidara sniffled a bit. "Well...I think...I did..."

Itachi and Kisame had just gotten out of the school just then, and they were met with Deidara crying on Hidan's shoulder, and the four others trying to help her out.

"What happened?" Kisame questioned, eyes going wide.

Itachi's mouth hung slightly open, surprised by the situation.

Deidara's body racked with sobs, and Hidan let her cling to him tighter. She lifted her hands up so that she clung to his half-open shirt.

Konan noticed a small scrape that was on Deidara's wrist, just barely visible with the jacket on. Wait, why did she have that black, heat absorbing, stupid thing on anyway?

"Dei-chan? What's this?" Konan held Deidara's wrist closer to herself to get a better look at what looked like a scrape.

Everyone's eyes widened to the exposed scar on her wrist. It wasn't completely healed—far from it. But they knew what it was.

A knife cut.

Konan gazed averted upward, straight into Deidara's cerulean eyes.

"Deidara. I think you owe us an explanation."


	17. Chapter 17: Reasons

**A/N: **I had the longest debate with myself over if this chapter should make you cry or not. But it probably won't anyway, since it's Deidaraxthis other guy, and not Sasodei. :/

So, it's like, six-thirty in the morning at where I am, and I'm getting ready to go on a one-day trip. I'll be back by tomorrow, since we're only going on this trip for a day like I said. I wonder if that's even called a trip. Well, I'll miss your guys' feedback...but I might have internet at the hotel. Hopefully. Even then, I still probably won't be able to update. I'm going to be in a car for 10 _fucking_ hours in all. Emphasis on the fucking. It's not all that bad, because I'll be reading a book I have to read for summer, and I'll do some other stuff to kill time. Maybe I'll just write the next chapter in my notebook. Or I'll be sleeping. I dunno. It's summer, okay? X) If you watch Naruto on Disney XD, don't cry when Hidan get incapaciated. Seriously. I cried when Deidara died though. And if you didn't know that...you're really behind. Like at least ten books behind. DX

Freaking underline thing...

**Sasunarufan101: **Well, I decided to update today, since if it was me, I can't handle cliffys. :/ I once read a story that updated everyday, and I read it before I would even eat breakfast. It was actually last summer, and everytime I turned on my computer to read it, my entire body would start to shake from excitement. X)

**glitterthorn: **Ya, you guys probably knew from chapter four or five or whatever it was. But still. -Haha, I just realised that's what you said practically. XD

**YukoxxxIchikawa:** Well, welcome to the next chapter! :D

**SasoxDei:** Oh, no, she doesn't like that guy. :P She likes this other dude, or at least that's what she thinks, but she's not sure of it.

**demetia-notAhumanBeing: **Oh! yes. I did your name right without looking! :DD And yay! I'm happy that I gave you laughs from it! :DDD

**Kuroui****: **That's a goddamn STEROTYPE! X) Haha, lol

And now, the next chapter. I'm gonna go pee.

(Wait, no Panic at the Disco or 30 Seconds to Mars or FLuffeetalks for a day? OHNOES! ...just kidding, I've survived four days last week, and two weeks last year without the computer and internet. Dang, I wanna go to Japan again... :/)

* * *

><p>Chapter 17: Reasons<p>

Kakuzu leaned over toward Konan. "I told you we got into a load of shit." Konan slapped him, snarling, "Shut the hell up."

The Akatsuki had gone back to Pain and Konan's house to sort the crap they had gotten into out.

"First," Hidan started. "You need to know the real fucking reason why we both moved here."

"I want to hear Deidara's reason first. But I also need to know why and how you were able to come as well." Konan's voice was stern, but her eyes were not filled with hatred or anger.

They sat in a circle on the maroon carpet of the living room, where they had played DDR back in June. It had been a while since then.

Deidara stared at her shaking hands and clenched and unclenched them multiple times before she spoke. Her voice was quiet, just barely audible.

"It started four months before I moved here, un. My mother had died in a car crash, yeah. My father and I were in it too, but he and I were barely even scratched. He had always been a kind of strict person, but after my mother died, he completely changed. He began to..." Deidara inhaled sharply. "He began to hit me, saying that it was my fault that she had died, un. I don't know how it could have been, and I didn't understand why, but I let him hit me, because I figured that he was just angry. I had convinced myself that he would eventually stop, yeah. Two months after she died, he still wouldn't stop, and I told Hidan. I was still in middle school back at the time, and Hidan got really angry about it when I told him, un."

Hidan clenched his fists, remembering that day.

"And also, at that time, I had a boyfriend. I told him too, un. He said that it would be okay, and that it would pass. And then he told me that—"

She began coughing, and Pain patted her back for comfort.

"That...he loved me, un. I don't know why I believed it when I was so young, but I just wanted someone to help me, yeah. He came to my house a month before I moved, and I had told my friends I was moving. The real reason I moved here was because I had to go to the hospital over there for about a week and a half from his beatings, and he didn't want things to get suspicious. So, I went over to my boyfriend's house to tell him that I was going...and..."

Deidara breathed slowly, trying to calm herself down.

"I found him. On the bed, with another girl. They weren't having sex, but he was kissing and cuddling with her. He looked at me, and he told me that he couldn't give a fuck about me, and how when he met my father, that he was so nice that it was obvious I was lying, and if I was lying, that he would lie to me too, un."

The blonde closed her eyes, reliving the memory.

_Deidara walked nervously up to the front door of Shunji's house. She was extremely sad that she was leaving him, but he would understand, right? _

_She took a large breath, and knocked on the door. No answer. That was strange. It was Thursday, and he was always here on Thursdays after school. Deidara knocked again, but still was met without a reply. Furrowing her eyebrows, she test the door to see if it was unlocked. To her immediate surprise, it was. What—?_

_The girl looked down, and spotted Shunji's black converse that he wore to school. However, next to them was a pair of shoes she never had seen. They were about the same size as Shunji's, so they couldn't have been his mother's. His mother had large feet, and he had no siblings either._

_Deidara had a bad feeling, one as though she shouldn't go anymore into the house._

"_Sh-Shunji, un?" she called._

_No reply._

_She gulped and took the stairs, taking a right toward his room. Sure, it wasn't right to enter someone's house without permission, but the door was open. That didn't make sense either._

_The door to his room was closed. Deidara, hoping it was unlocked tried it. It was. She pushed the brown wood open._

_Her eyes widened to the last sight she ever suspected to see._

_Shunji was there. He was there, all right. But what shocked Deidara so much was the fact that he was lip locked with another girl. Deidara recognized her immediately as Aika from 3B. _

_Shunji had appeared to notice Deidara, and he reluctantly pulled away. "What?" he asked, no sense of emotion whatsoever. What had made him so cold?_

"_Sh-Shunji...?"_

"_Are you upset, Deidara?" he taunted. "Upset that I'm with another girl? That I've been lying to you?"_

_The girl gave a look at Deidara, and then her lips turned into a smirk. _

"_Shunji! How could you, un? You told me that you loved me—"_

"_You're an idiot, Deidara," Shunji mocked. "Did you honestly think I could love you? After you lied to me about your dad?"_

_Deidara was shocked. How could have he ever thought that what she said was a lie?_

"_Shunji—what are you talking about?" she shouted. There was no helping the tears that streamed down her cheeks._

"_He doesn't abuse you. You're a lying piece of shit Deidara."_

_With that, Shunji shoved Deidara out of the room and locked the door._

_The only noise that was heard was the sound of Deidara's sobs._

Deidara brought up one hand to wipe the tears from her eyes.

Hidan noticed that Deidara was finished, and he began his reasoning.

"And...I couldn't just fucking leave her alone. My parents...they fucking abandoned the ass out of me. But they send me money so I'll leave them the fuck alone. So, I came here."

"Th-that's all, un..." Deidara finished, her eyes shut and her hands clenched tightly into fists on her lap.

Sasori stepped toward Deidara. "Brat."

She looked up at the person that patted her head. "You're an idiot. You can trust us on anything. Don't...hide anything anymore."

Pain nodded. "Whatever the hell happens to you won't change the fact that we're still going to be your friends!"

Konan hugged the first year. "You'll still be just like a little sister to me! I don't know what was wrong with that little bastard, but I promise! I'll always be on your side no matter what!"

"I'll give you my dango," Itachi offered.

"As much as you and Hidan annoy me on a daily basis...you can still count on me too," Kakuzu let her know.

"We'll help you out. All the way," Kisame promised.

"You'll be my fucking best friend forever," Hidan assured. "You can trust me on that. Right?"

Deidara's eyes watered again, and tears slid down her cheeks and onto the carpet. She nodded vigorously. "T-T-Thank you, guys...un...!"

Konan held the knife cut wrist in her hand, and put her forehead against it. "We might just be another stupid group in everyone else's eyes, but no matter how long someone has been friends with us, we'll help them out. It's what friends do."

She would get through this.

Even if you had been hurt and ripped apart, there were always those people who truly cared. And that's all you really needed to keep going on.


	18. Chapter 18: Together

**A/N: **Don't kill me for not updating yesterday. Because then I won't be able to update anymore. X) But okay, so I actually got back from my trip yesterday at 6 pm, and I was trying to write the chapter, but I GOT ME SOME FREAKING WRITER'S BLOCK. DA FUCK.

So, I got pissed, and I couldn't finish this until now. Dammit! Ugh...I need to go do something. Oh, and while I was on my trip, a bird landed on my mom's back, and I saw a store called "Underwear". Hey, at least it's honest. :)

Well, thanks for reading and reviewing.

**Sasunarufan101: **Well, I laughed when you told Hidan to fetch your bat. X)

**SasoxDei:** :(

**Kuroui: **:)

Well, the outcome of my writer's block. I need to go dunk my head in some ice.

Here you go, Chapter 18. :)

* * *

><p>Chapter 18: Together<p>

Konan sat on the couch, alone. Everyone had left the house about an hour ago, so it became quiet. It led Konan into a deep trail of thoughts.

"_He began to hit me...Saying that it was my fault my mother had died, un."_

"_It's a long story. But Sasuke and father hate me."_

"_She lied to me. It was the worst."_

"_They always were mean. I pretended I didn't mind my blue skin though."_

"_My fucking parents...they don't give a fuck about whether I could die or not."_

"_I only love money. If you put trust in anything else, it comes and spits it back at you right in the face."_

Everyone had their own pain. Even now, it still hurt them, it traumatized them. They could easily beat someone up, they could break an arm without a second thought if someone hurt their friends, they could stand blood...but it was all because of what they had faced before and even now.

Pain looked up, noticing the silence. He stood up from his sitting position on the floor, and seated himself comfortably next to Konan.

"What's wrong, dear?"

The blunette closed her eyes and leaned her head against her boyfriend's shoulder. "After hearing Dei-chan's story...it's just that...I feel as though we're lucky."

Pain raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" he questioned, wrapping his right arm around Konan's waist and bringing her closer to himself.

"You know...our parents died...but we still have each other. It's hard...not to give more sympathy to others who aren't so fortunate. Like Itachi, how her dad and brother hate her, but her mom doesn't. Even still, her dad blocks her away from her mother, just so she can't escape. Kisame was shunned as a child, so he's actually really insecure about how he looks, no matter how many times Itachi tells him he's perfect the way he is. Deidara...she practically didn't have anyone to turn to, besides Hidan. She was left behind in the dust by her boyfriend. Sasori, he had been lied to after his parents—"

"None of us," Pain interrupted. "Should have any obligation to face these things, Konan. Even us. What is lucky to us and what is lucky to the world are two different things. You can't call us lucky. We just had it a little better than some others in the Akatsuki."

"I...know...but sti—"

Konan cut herself off and sniffed as a tear rolled down her cheek.

Pain watched Konan with sad eyes. He knew what she meant. They had lost both of their parents, but they were still together. They had each other, and that was enough for both of them.

But it wasn't for everyone else in the Akatsuki.

With the quietest, smoothest voice that he could manage, he began to speak again. "Konan...it's all right. You promised everyone that you would help them. And you have. It's the best you can give. And you've done your part."

He brought the sobbing woman up close. She had always been a motherly figure—she looked after everyone when they were sad, harmed, or scared, and always took the right sides. She held everyone until they could bring themselves up again.

Maybe...

Maybe she just wanted someone to do the same for her.

Pain grabbed both of Konan's arms, and brought her up to face him. He used his thumb to gently wipe the tears from her red, puffy eyes, as well as her cheeks.

She sniffled a bit, and whispered his name. "Nagato..."

Pain looked at those beautiful auburn orbs. He could get lost into them, never to find a path to go again. But...then again, he wouldn't mind that, if it was Konan.

His heart raced. He had loved it, how each time that they were together that his stomach would knot up into little butterflies, and his heart would flutter. It made every day, every moment of pain worth it.

This was why he loved the Akatsuki. He did. He loved it with all of his heart. He liked listening to the constant bickering of Kakuzu and Hidan over the stupidest things. He liked Itachi's annoying smartness and Kisame's respect of others. He liked Deidara and Sasori arguing about art. He liked Tobi and Zetsu's awkwardness.

But in the end, he couldn't help but really love Konan.

It was. It was love. He hadn't felt anything like this...

It tingled. And he loved it.

Konan gazed into his eyes, and their lips finally met, in a sweet, passionate kiss. Pain gently licked her bottom lip, and she granted him permission into her mouth.

They hadn't sweetly kissed in so long. Or at least Pain had to think that. From the sadness of friend's pasts to everyday homework assignments, things always seemed to get in the way of him and his darling.

But not tonight.

Tonight, everything disappeared, at least for the time being. It didn't matter that their parents were gone. It didn't matter that the computer was still on the Sims 3. It was just the two of them. And nothing or no one else.

Pain slid his tongue slowly into Konan's mouth, and mapped out the inside. The woman moaned under him, and he brought them so they both lay on the sofa.

Their tongues pressed together, and Konan didn't know if she could take much more.

Pain wrapped the other arm around Konan as well, making him hug her waist. In return, Konan brought one hand to his hair, and one to his neck. She pulled him closer, wanting more attention from him. It wasn't enough. It just wasn't.

They pulled apart, and their eyes opened.

"Nagato...I love you."

Pain smiled as Konan nuzzled into his neck.

"I love you too, Konan, as much as you can be a PMSing bitch at times." Konan chuckled, not at all offended by his sexist joke. "Well, if I'm a PMSing bitch...then you're an ignorant bastard."

"I'm perfectly fine with that."

The blunette pressed her lips against her boyfriend's cheek, giving a gentle smile after. Pain returned it, continuing to run his fingers through her short, blue locks.

"Hey Nagato...?"

"Yes, Konan?"

Konan buried her face in the crook of Pain's neck. "I want...I want to help others. I want to help the Akatsuki. I want to help you. I want to help everyone."

Pain smiled again. "You're a beautiful motherly figure, Konan. This is why I love you so much. I promise...that you can. You can help anyone and everyone Konan."

"Thank you...Say, Nagato?" she asked.

"Yes?"

"You won't leave me...or us, right?"

Pain knew the answer to that immediately. "Of course. But Konan, for one night, let's put all our worries away."

He reached across the couch to turn off the light.

"Sleep," he ordered, pulling a blanket from the end of the couch for him to cover themselves up with.

"Okay, okay. Good night, Nagato." Konan shut her eyes.

The Akatsuki leader sighed happily as he noticed his girlfriend's breathing even out, and her stomach rising and falling with every breath.

"Good night, my love."

In only minutes, Pain fell asleep as well, lulled by the quiet breathing of Konan.

* * *

><p><em>Hey. This is Pain. You know what to do. <em>(1)

Kakuzu snarled at the answering. He took a deep breath before,

"PAIN! You better get your ass to school before the fucking bell rings, because if you don't, there's going to be a whole other fucking problem, you dumb asshole! Bye. Oh, yeah, and this is Kakuzu."

He pressed the 'end call' button.

"No luck, un?" Deidara asked, messing with a strand of hair.

Kakuzu shook his head.

They all shared the same thoughts.

"**Their excuse better have not be that they were too busy having sex to go to school**."

* * *

><p>(1) Yeah, that's my friend's answering thing on her cell phone. "Hey this is Gio, you know what to do."<p> 


	19. Chapter 19: New Student

**A/N: **So this is weird. The counting on here and on Microsoft Word is different. Hm. Oh well.

So I got new bands on my braces. They're red, but they looking orange. :/ Next time, I swear I'm only going to get black.

So you know what's bad? I have less than two weeks left until Japanese school, and I haven't even started on one of the three main projects! OH NOES! :0 So...I was thinking that for my essay, I'm going to write about how writing's not just about words that you put into a story, but how you interact those words to connect with the reader. What do you think about that? Writing about writing. X)

And because of that, I might miss some days of updating. I don't know if I will, because usually it takes me about two or three or seven hours to write one chapter.

Oh, and this is the outcome of my writer's block! It strays a little away, but it still goes somewhere! :D

And to my reviewers:

**Glitterthorn:** Well, what else would they be doing? X)

**SasoxDei****: **Aw, yay! :D

**Sasunaru101:** Nah, it's fine; I prefer long reviews of random babbling. XD

And now to Chapter 19.

* * *

><p>Chapter 19: New Student<p>

"Hey, are those two dating?"

"Yup! From what I heard, Miki asked Kuukai over summer."

"Aww, that's so cute."

The real post-summer gossip didn't start until the second day after summer vacation ended. The first day, everyone had just been practically sleeping during class. But now it was time to get back on the gear of school.

"Hey, look, Iwakatsu-san's still really pretty!"

"What the hell do you mean, _still_? She'll always be."

"Hmph. I don't like her. She's annoying, and she pretends to be nice."

"Are you jealous?"

"Hey, shut the fuck up!"

Hidan stood in front of the two boys and one girl talking about Deidara. He shoved a finger in the girl's face. "Don't you _ever_ talk about her that fucking way, you fucking daughter of a fucking asshole bitch. Go burn in fucking hell."

He pulled at the girl's black hair before leaving them.

"Cht. Fucking bitch."

"Hey, starting today, there's going to be some dude coming into this class apparently," Tomoya announced. He was one of Akatsuki's friends in 1B. He had dark blue hair and brown eyes. It was a strange combination, but it was known that he had dyed his hair from the original dark brunette.

"I heard he's some player..." Itachi murmured, looking up from her book. "The Physiological Aspect of Humans". Whatever the hell that was.

Tomoya pouted at her comment. "Aw, come on, Ita-chan. Not every guy that comes to our school is a player."

Itachi glared at him. "Quit calling me that."

The dark bluenette rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Hey, but Deidara-chan, you've pretty much haven't really changed during summer. Did you do anything?"

"She just hung out with the Akatsuki, like we usually fucking do," Hidan said for her.

"I tried getting a hair cut, but Hidan and Konan-chan wouldn't let me, yeah."

"Well, I don't think so," Tomoya commented. "It's pretty dang long. And I'm not a girl, but I doubt that's easy to take care of." He brushed his hand through his hair. "I mean, it's a whole bunch easier since I'm a guy, and I have short hair."

Deidara rolled her eyes.

The teacher came in soon after, shutting the door loudly. "All right, students. Get to your seats. As you all know, there _is_ a new student here today."

They all scattered to their seats, anxiously waiting for the introduction of the new student.

"Okay, good then. Kizu Takeichi, please come on in!"

The door slid open slowly, and all eyes went onto the tall, handsome boy. He had black, messy hair in the style of Sasori, but with less fluff. His sharp, dark brown eyes seemed to pierce through anyone. But overall, he was quite good-looking.

"Oh wow..."

"He's pretty hot..."

"You said it."

The boy coughed, and stuck his right hand in his pocket, for the left was holding his black bag. "The name's Kizu Takeichi. Please take good care of me." Takeichi gave a bold smile, and then turned to the teacher. "Where may I sit, ma'am?"

The woman was unfazed by his good looks. "There is a seat for you. Up next to...Deidara. Where are you?"

Deidara's eye twitched. She didn't want to sit next to a player! And especially if Itachi was the one saying that he was, it was probably true. "I'm here, un," she responded regretfully.

The girl shot a hopeful look at Itachi that screamed, "HOLY FUCK. WHATEVER YOU SAID BETTER NOT BE TRUE. HELP ME."

But Itachi only snickered, and turned back to ignoring the rest of society and reading her stupid physiology book. Damn weasel. She looked at Hidan. Even he was mocking her. _Ah, fuck you, my wonderful friends._

"Deidara?" She looked up to the sound of her name. Oh. Yeah. He was sitting next to her.

"Yeah, un."

"That's a pretty name."

A small round of "Ooooh" filled the room. Deidara's other eye twitched visibly. "Thank you, but I have someone I like already, yeah. So please quit flirting with me."

"DISSED!" Hidan yelled, standing up.

"Kuraji! Sit down right now!" the teacher yelled, slapping her desk with a ruler. "And Kizu, stop flirting with Iwakatsu."

"Yes, ma'am." Takeichi smirked and sat down.

Oh Jashin, this was going to be a long day.

~*~*~After School~*~*~

"Hey, how was school, little underlings?" Pain teased.

"Annoying fucking bastards!" Deidara screamed.

The Akatsuki stared at her. Well, wasn't Hidan doing a good job of passing on his colorful vocabulary.

"Sorry, un."

"I think what Deidara is trying to say," Itachi started, walking over to Kisame. "Is that there is a vexatious player in our class now. He's a new student, and his name is Kizu Takeichi, and he's moved here from Hyogo Prefecture, so it's not that far."

"And he's bothering Deidara?" Kisame questioned.

Itachi closed her book firmly. "He's bothering all of us. He's asked out five girls so far, and all of them have said yes. It's imbecilic what good looks can do to a few even more imbecilic girls."

"Well, putting those statements aside, I believe the school's getting ready for this year's Athletic Festival," Konan mentioned. "It's going to be really fun. I can't wait."

"Ah...I'm going to have to take this off for a day..." Pain muttered solemnly, patting at his black forehead band.

"It's not much to get excited over, Konan," Sasori spat. "Afterall, it's just a sports festival."

"I have to agree with Sasori," Kakuzu added. Well, he didn't have to say it for everyone to know it.

"Hey! Where's your school spirit guys? This thing is fun!" Konan cried, waving her arms spastically for extra effect. "There's the three legged race, the ball toss, the—"

"No Konan."

She pouted.

"Well, back to Kizu-san," Itachi interrupted. "What are we going to do about him?"

Pain folded his arms. "Is he that much of a problem?"

"You only know so much, yeah," Deidara mumbled.

"Why hello there, Deidara-chan. Talking about me with your fellow friends?"

"Drop dead, un," Deidara snapped, her voice cracking.

"Aw, c'mon."

"She said off," Pain warned. He glared at the younger.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Takeichi apologized. "You're...Pain, right? I've heard about you from a couple of other students? You're going out with that...yes, that bluenette butt-face."

Uh oh.

Sasori and Kakuzu took a tiny glance at Konan. If they stared too long, it would be dangerous. For their own health. They fully knew that any outsider that insulted Konan wasn't aware of Konan's quick annoyance with men.

"Who the fuck did you just call a butt-face, you son of a bitch?" Konan hissed.

"Oh, you're Tenshi Konan-san? I apologize for my—"

Before he could say another word, Konan had punched him hard in the cheek, sending him to the ground. A couple of gasps were heard shortly after.

"Don't you _ever_ say that again. I don't care if a hundred girls like you, I don't care if a thousand girls like you! Stop bothering us. And if I've heard correctly, you have no reason to mess with a girl's heart! You are nothing but a sack of shit! You don't belong here!"

Even the Akatsuki was stunned. Why was Konan being so...?

"Hmph." Takeichi stood up, and brushed the dust off from his pants. He walked forward, leaving the Akatsuki group. But not before he whispered, "If only you knew about me..."

Konan watched as he stalked away from the group, still glaring at the player.

The courtyard was now filled with gossiping whispers.

"Wow, I didn't know something could set Konan off so much. That was pretty scary."

"Jeez, what's her problem? It's just a guy."

Pain looked over at Konan. She looked quite distressed. "You okay, Konan?" he asked.

"I'm fine," Konan muttered. It was clear that she wasn't quite fine, but you could never pull something out of Konan by force.

"Um...thank you, Konan-chan," Deidara spoke, fidgeting a little.

Konan sighed. "It's nothing. People like him...are just scum to this earth." She groaned and stuck her hands in her pockets. "I'll just...Just pretend like this never happened," she murmured.

"Let's go home, Konan," Pain offered.

The distressed bluenette nodded, and followed her boyfriend, her head down.

"I wonder why Konan-chan was suddenly so angry, un..." Deidara thought aloud.

"She's probably just stressed," Sasori concluded. "But she doesn't want us to bring it up again."

"We're still probably going to get bothered by Kizu," Itachi said. "But for now, we can't do much."

"Did any of you hear what he said though?" Kisame asked.

"What did he fucking say?"

"He said, 'If you only knew about me,'. What do you think that could mean?"

Kakuzu shook his head. "None of us want to think right now. I'd rather not get involved with such stupid first years. I'm going home."

With that, Kakuzu headed home as well.

"Hey, brat, we have art today. Let's get to the art room before we miss it."

"Okay, Danna!"

"Besides, you wouldn't want to go home now right? We want to keep you away as much as possible," Sasori added.

"Aw, someone cares about fucking someone," Hidan teased.

"Shut the hell up, Hidan."

Hidan laughed, and in a moment, Sasori and Deidara were heading off toward the art room.

"Hidan..." Itachi started.

"What?"

"That sounded really wrong."

"What fucking did?"

"Where you put fucking," Kakuzu explained. "You said, 'someone cares about fucking someone'. If you put emphasis on different words, it completely sounds like someone cares about having sex with someone else."

Hidan rolled his eyes and shrugged. "Well, I guess it could be taken that way too."

"You're disgusting," Kisame groaned.

"Oh, I know. Believe me, I fucking _know_."


	20. Chapter 20: This is our Fall Festival!

**A/N: **So I'm a freaking proud of myself. 20 chapters in my story is my all time record now. Well, hopefully it will be "Finished one story". The reason is, I've never finished a story. Like, a series story. Ever. So I'm really proud. But I have to thank you guys who review too, because that's what keeps me going. :)

So, I'm going to a college today. No, I'm still 13. It's just that it's some stupid tour, but they have graphic arts there, so I'm just following along. Because art is . Check my DA? X) Same username. But I seriously need a tablet.

TO THE REVIWERS! :D:

**SasoxDei:** :D *looks up innocently*

**Kuroui**: ****Oh, yes, yes they do... :3

**glitterthorn:** Lol, haha, smart girl. Or lady. Er...

To the Story, here is Chapter 20.

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><p>Chapter 20: This is Our Fall Festival!<p>

September 25...

It had been a (not-so) nice month since school began since summer vacation. It was a beautiful Sunday evening closing into fall.

Leaves rustled in the wind on trees as they floated gently to the ground, the sky was soothing with the mixtures of red and orange in it, and best of all...

The Fall Festival was today!

The stands of the festival held cotton candy, Ramune (1), yakisoba (2), goldfish scooping, and much more.

And now, we go to our fellow Akatsuki members, who are enjoying the wonderful evening of the fall festival in town.

"Well, aren't you two just so cute!" Konan squealed, hugging Deidara and Itachi.

"Aw, thanks Konan-chan," Deidara replied.

Itachi muttered a quick, "Thanks."

"All right then, now where are the boys?" the bluenette woman huffed, putting her hands on her hips.

"We're here, we're here."

The girls looked behind themselves to reveal the 5 males.

"Oh, Nagato!" Konan immediately glomped her boyfriend, who was dressed in a black yukata (3).

"You look...very pretty, Konan," Pain complimented, coughing and blushing. And indeed, she was. Well, so were Deidara and Itachi, but nevermind them. She wore a dark blue yukata with a varying blue shade of sakura petals. Her usual white flower was still in her hair, and most of her hair was down as usual.

"Thank you, darling. Okay then boys and girls!" Konan clapped her hands over her head twice to get their attention. "We're going to be splitting up by partners! And before you ask why, it's because I know you all like each other one way or another. No complaints! Now, go!"

It was an order. And order by Konan. An order not to rebel against. The Akatsuki split up.

Konan smirked. "Ahh...it's nice to play match maker."

"What was that, Konan?"

"Oh, nothing Nagato."

~*~*~Itachi and Kisame~*~*~

Kisame's yukata was white and he had a tiny dark blue sash.

"How's it going?" he asked, trying to start up a conversation with his girlfriend.

"It's all right. But you know, I've been doing some research, and I learned some things about Kizu-san," she answered.

Kisame raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Like what?" Awkward subject change alert, Kisame!

"Like that he's asked out twenty girls in one month. They've all agreed, and he shattered all of their hearts." She folded her arms. "But the girls themselves I believe are the ones who are truly stupid. They should _know_he wasn't actually trying to form a relationship with them."

"Well, what do you think is his goal?"

Itachi shook her head. "That, I don't know. I'm still trying to follow him, and see what he's up to."

The blue-skinned man suddenly perked up. "You're stalking him?"

"Technically, yes. But Kisame, you know it's the only way I'm going to get anything out of him," Itachi argued.

"I know. But still."

"Hn."

Kisame sighed. "Well, we better get going. All the shops are going to close if we don't start." He looked back at Itachi. Yep, she definitely looked cute. On the yukata bore dark blue, almost black with pink and white lilies. The sash was white, but there was a fat line of pink in it.

He gently grabbed Itachi's hand, unable to resist the temptation. "So we won't get separated."

Itachi smiled just as gently. "Well then, I hope we're just together for a while." She gave a smirk then, and pressed her lips onto Kisame's cheek.

~*~*~Kakuzu and Hidan~*~*~

"I told you we should have worn something else then a t-shirt and fucking jeans," Hidan shot.

"Oh shut up. Besides, you _told_ me that you prefer to wear this rather than a freaking yukata," Kakuzu argued.

Hidan just huffed in response. Unfortunately, the stitched third year was right. Hidan _hated_ yukatas with a burning passion of his. They were itchy, and too...too...too formal. Or something like that. So here he was, wearing a black tank top and white skinny jeans.

Kakuzu was about the same, but his tank top showed most of his back, and he wore black skinny jeans as well. They were almost the only ones who hadn't worn a yukata in the entire festival.

"Well, Kakuzu, let's have some fucking fun!" Hidan began running in one direction, not waiting for Kakuzu to catch up.

"Wait...hey! Hidan! Get back over here!"

Kakuzu groaned and started chasing Hidan. Afterall, he hadn't done cross country for nothing.

~*~*~Sasori and Deidara~*~*~

"Danna?"

"Yeah?"

"Is the festival usually this crowded, un?"

"Yeah, I guess. I don't really remember."

"Oh, un."

Sasori glanced over toward the brat. "You look...nice," he complimented. He wasn't really good with the complimenting people thing. But, he wasn't lying. Deidara actually looked quite...adorable.

WOAH! _Sasori, you did not just think that._

"Oh...thanks, un. You...too."

Sasori didn't think it was much as to compliment about—he was wearing just a black yukata—but he accepted the compliment. On the other hand, Deidara did. Her yukata would probably be like a kryptonite to men. Well, the original saying was superman, but still. She was wearing a _pink_ yukata. And a girl wearing a pink yukata was just a complete weakness for boys.

"Thanks."

"Well, Danna, what do you want to do, yeah?" Deidara asked.

"Want to go catch some fish?" Sasori suggested.

The blonde suddenly grinned. "Definitely, yeah! The loser has to pay for dango, un!"

Sasori smirked. That didn't sound too bad. "Heh. You're on."

~*~*~An Unepic Game of Goldfish Catching Later~*~*~

"Aw, poo, un!" Deidara pouted.

The score had been 3 to 5, and Sasori had won.

"You cheated anyway," the red head vindicated, folding his arms. "Now, for the dango."

Deidara looked at Sasori. "Oh...about that, un." She stuck her tongue out and winked. "I don't have any money on me, yeah."

Sasori's eye twitched. "You...little cheater..." he muttered.

Deidara giggled like a school girl (wait...) as Sasori chased her.

"Attention." The speakers on the poles shook from the announcer's voice. "The festival will be officially closed in five minutes. All visitors, please leave ASAP. Thank you, we hope you had a good time, and hope you come back next year!"

A couple of sad "Aww..."s were heard through the crowd.

"Oh...the festival...it's going to end soon, un..." Deidara whispered, looking worried.

"Yeah, it makes us all kind of disappointed," Sasori agreed, looking up.

The speakers interrupted the crowd's disappointment.

"But before that, we have one last show of the night."

A spark lit up.

KABOOM

"Our annual fireworks!"

Deidara's eyes widened. "Holy..."

Sparks of blue, white, orange, green, red, and so much more lit up the dark night sky. With every explosion, Deidara's cerulean eyes twinkled a bit more.

Sasori stared over toward Deidara. "You like fireworks?"

"Explosion, un," she simply said. Ah, yes, that was right. For her, art was an explosion. And fireworks exploded.

After five more minutes of the nonstop sparkles, the fireworks finally ended. Oh, that wasn't meant to be taken in a negative way. Everyone enjoyed the fireworks.

The speakers spoke again. "Thank you everyone! Now get out."

They all gave a blank look at the speakers. Meany.

"Do you just want to head home?" Sasori asked.

Deidara's bright eyes suddenly turned sad.

_Wait._

Sasori panicked slightly. When she got home, Deidara was probably just going to get beat by her dad again. She had told him that he didn't have to have a reason, or he would just make one to abuse her. It made his blood boil to think that the man could be so cruel.

And then, he did the most stupidly logical thing that he could do.

"Hey, brat, you can stay at my place for tonight," Sasori offered.

Oh, how wrong that could've been taken. Deidara looked taken aback, but immediately understood that he hadn't meant it in any sexual way (A/N: Yet.).

"Uh...no, that's okay, un. If I stay over, he's just going to get even angrier. Well, bye Danna!"

Deidara gave Sasori a quick hug, and ran over toward the direction of her house. The festival had been held near where they lived afterall. And besides, who wears a yukata on a train to go home? That's just stupid.

Sasori stood, dazed for a moment. _Oh..._

"See you...Deidara."

He wished he could be there for her, protect the sweet, innocent, adorable blonde—wait...

_WHAT?_

Sasori rested his head in his hands and groaned. .

Stupid blonde, stupid blonde, stupid blonde, stupid blonde, stupid blonde, stupid blonde, adorable blonde.

Wait, how did that get in there? The red head cursed under his breath. He knew what he had to do, especially since he knew why he was thinking of the beautiful blonde so often.

He walked over and picked up his phone, dialing the number of the first two people that popped into his head.

RING RING

"Hey, Sasori. How was the festival with Deidara?" Pain greeted through the phone.

"It was fine."

"Hiya, puppet boy," Konan added. "What's up? Why'd you call?"

"I have...a dilemma," Sasori muttered sheepishly.

"Well, what is it?" Konan asked impatiently. She did not like to wait very much either, like Sasori.

"I..."

"Huh? What did you say? I can't hear you!"

"Konan, calm dow—"

Sasori immediately interrupted Pain, knowing he couldn't say it any other time than this.

"I like Deidara. _Like _like her."

* * *

><p>(1) Ramune: .orgwiki/Ramune

(2) Yakisoba: Pan fried noodles

(3) Yukata: .org/wiki/Yukata

**A/N: **Aww...adorable Sassy.

Sasori: Shut the hell up.

Me: Or else what?

Sasori: I'll kill you.

Me: ...no.

Sasori: *rolls eyes*

Me: So anyway, please review! :D Pwetty pwease? It makes me happy. :D Plea-ah, goddamit! Just hit the fucking review button!

...

Sorry about that.

But seriously. Review.

Thanks. :D


	21. Chapter 21: Feelings

**A/N: **I don't have much to say right now. Well, I guess I do have about three things.

First, I am starting a doujinshi for this fanfic, which you will eventually can see on my DA. I'm drawing the cover for the first chapter at the moment.

Second, thank you to the 6 reviews last time! Very much.

Third, here are my replies:

**Lazy Lazy Glitter-chan: **Wait...you=Glitterthorn, right? X)

**SasoxDei: **Haha, I bet you did... ;)

**Kuroui: **It was a little late during the day, but update here!

**demetia-notAhumanBeing: **Hehe, I know right?

**Glitterthorn: **Hey, me too! I is thirteen and am a girl with terrible pronunciation! :D And really? *eyes sparkle* Aw, thank you so much! *huggles*

**Sasunarufan101: **I love your reviews, don't worry. X) *looks at half unconscious Sasori* Maybe you should put him down...

So, here's another chapter! I am probably halfway through with this story. Yay for me! I actually plan to finish this story the day before school starts (August 14), so I guess about...17 more chapters. DAMMIT! Stupid school, stupid Japanese school! I'm not finished with my homework! *runs around the room screaming while you read the chapter and review*

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><p>Chapter 21: Feelings<p>

Konan caught the phone just in time, placing it on her ear, not trusting her boyfriend with the phone anymore.

"Sorry Sasori. That sound was Nagato dropping the phone."

"Oh it's oka—"

"**OMGGGEEEEEEE! YOU LIKE DEI-CHAN? SERIOUSLY? THIS IS ALMOST THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!**" Konan suddenly interrupted.

The other side of the line was silent for a little bit. "...Are you done?" finally came.

"Yes. Sorry about that as well," the bluenette apologized through the phone.

"It's fine. Just...don't do that again. I really don't need to get ear drum replacements. Now, what the hell am I going to do?"

Konan thought for a moment—wait, a second. "Well, ask her out, duh!" _It was obvious, sheesh Sasori._

Sasori almost face palmed. Was the nuts? "Konan, just because I find out I like a girl a teensy bit doesn't mean I have to ask her out right that second!"

"Well, fine! Where's she now?" Konan questioned.

The red head bit his lower lip before answering, "She went home." That is, if you could call that place a home. That father—son of a bitch.

"You _let_ her go home! What's wrong with you? Agh, dammit!"

Konan let out an aggravated sigh on the other line. _Dammit, dammit, dammit._ Once calmed, she eased herself to slowly breathe. "Okay...here, just let me calm down, and you get your thoughts sorted out. Call...Kisame or someone for now. I'll talk to you tomorrow at school, alright?"

Sasori nodded. "Okay, thanks Konan, bye." He pressed the end button, and the line went silent. Now, where was Kisame..._Hoshigaki, Hoshigaki, oh, there it is._

The red head surprisingly only had about twenty contacts on his phone. The Akatsuki—Pain, Konan (and their house, but that was included), Kisame, Itachi, Deidara, Kakuzu, Hidan, Tobi, and Zetsu—and a couple of some other friends, none of which were girls for obvious reasons. But of course, some of them would deliberately try and put their number on his IPhone. None of them have succeeded. Or at least succeeded and lived. Just kidding.

Brrr...brrrrrr...brrrrr

"What?" Kisame's voice appeared a little harsher than normal.

Sasori only drew one conclusion. "Are you currently making out with Itachi?"

His answer was quick. "Yes, and now she's kind of disappointed, so you need to hurry, what's u—okay, okay, hold on Ita-chan."

Sasori rolled his eyes and sighed. "I like Deidara."

"You're point?"

"I _like _like Deidara."

He heard Kisame start choking on...hopefully nothing. If Kisame was here right now, Sasori would've given him the hardest glare possible—the Sasori Death Glare.

After a thirty second silence, Kisame spoke up. "Well, so, did you need my advice?" he asked.

Sasori thought a moment. "Well," he began. "Since you _were_ the one who asked out Itachi, and you're the one dating her, I suppose I could use some of what you have in what's in between your ears. Hopefully it is brain."

The second-year snickered. "Hm, isn't this unusual. You asking for my help. The almighty Akasuna no Saso—"

"Kisame, shut up before your insides are on the outside," Sasori warned, but his face slightly tinted red. Yes, it was unusual for such a great "power" as him to ask help. As far as anyone knew, Sasori did things all by himself. "Now just tell me what to do."

"Well, I'm not a girl, so I don't completely know. Since you're her partner, just get to know her a bit more, and what not. I think you can leave the rest to Konan though."

_Some advice..._ Sasori thought, grumbling something incoherent. "Fine. Thanks. Bye."

He flopped down on the couch after turning off his IPhone. "Jashin...that's just enough for one day."

~*~*~The Next Day, at School~*~*~

"Dammit, Dei-chan, you really have to tell us when this kind of things happen!" Konan scolded the younger. She gently patted Deidara's face with a wet washcloth.

"Ow, un! And I told you, I can take care of this myself, yeah! I've done it before; it happens everyday!"

Konan pressed the washcloth harder into the wound. "Well, maybe if you would...uh...uhh..."

Deidara laughed. "I win, un!"

"Fine, oh fine, just hold still while I put on a band-aid for you. Too much concealer isn't good for your skin, you know!"

Deidara flinched as Konan finished putting the band-aid on the cut on her cheek. After getting home from the festival, Deidara got hit by a glass bottle by her father. And dammit, it hurt like bitch! But she never complained.

"Okay, I'm done! Now off to class you go!" Konan said, flipping Deidara around, and shoving her out the door. Now, for her own hair.

Deidara sighed as she was pushed out of the restroom. She flung her black bag over her shoulder, a tracked down the hallways of Shinobi High. It was kind of quiet, but there were still a few students chit chatting in the hallways.

With her arrival to her classroom, she was greeted with a wave from Tomoya. "Heya, Deidara-chan. Oh, what happened to your cheek?" His head was on the desk, his face facing forward. He pointed toward Deidara with his finger to point out the band-aid.

"Oh...this, un? It's nothing really, just a scrape," Deidara replied, smiling.

"Well, aren't you fucking clumsy."

"Good morning to you too, Hidan, un," the blonde grumbled.

"Hey, I got some funny news!" Hidan cried.

Itachi suddenly showed up glaring at him. "You tell her either one of those news and you are going to get killed by one, two, or three people, Hidan," she hissed.

"Aw, Itachi, c'mon, you're no fucking fun!"

Deidara sighed. Typical Hidan.

"Oh...well, Kuukai...I...I love you too..."

The first-year whipped around at the sound of three words. _I love you._

"Awh, that's sweet," Tomoya commented. "Miki and Kuukai love each other."

"No it's not," Deidara suddenly said bitterly. "It's disgusting."

Apparently, Miki had heard what she said. "Hey, Iwakatsu, just because you're too ugly for anyone to pick you up doesn't mean that you should be lashing out on others!" she yelled. Miki was also part of those girls who hated Deidara.

"At least I know what love actually is, unlike a certain someone, un," Deidara shot back.

Tomoya began to panic, not comprehending why Deidara was so angered by the simple "I love you"s. On the other hand, Hidan and Itachi stared at each other nervously. They knew why Deidara was so pissed, it was from Shunji.

"Of course I know what it is!" Miki shouted. Even her boyfriend was starting to get a little nervous. "How would you know that you knew what love is, huh?"

"You're pitiful, un. I almost feel sorry for you."

Deidara stood up and went to her chair, sitting down on it. And of course, the entire day, Miki glared at Deidara, Kuukai tried to calm Miki down, Itachi and Hidan exchanged nervous glances, and Tomoya was confused on the highest level.

One fucking happy day.

~*~*~After School~*~*~

"Well, you should ask her about music, and actually get into the music she likes."

Sasori gave Konan a blank look. "Konan, half of the music she likes is in _English_. That's the only subject I'm almost failing in."

"Then even better idea!" Konan cried. "Get her to help you!"

"She's a year younger than me."

"Who's a year younger than you, un?"

Deidara stepped in on their conversation with Hidan and Itachi.

"You," Konan said quickly, before Sasori could come up with some stupid excuse to not be with whom he believed he liked. _Like _liked.

"What about me, hmmm?"

"You want to make out with her?" Itachi asked, smirking a little.

"That was you with Kisame last night," Sasori snapped back. "Anyway, Deidara, I need help with English. Are you willing?"

"To do what, un?"

Konan almost face palmed. _Sasori, you're an idiot. Dei-chan, I love you, but you're so oblivious._

"To help me with English. Konan told me you lived in America for a while, and you listen to English music. That means you know it, right?"

Deidara nodded slowly. "Un. I guess, yeah. But we have to go to your house, un."

"Obviously."

"Like we're ever letting you go back there."

"Well, it's kind of my house, yeah."

"I know, but like, we're trying to keep you from it, as much as possible," Kona muttered.

"I know, I know, un. Thank you."

"Alright, brat, c'mon, English is awaiting."

Sasori grabbed Deidara's wrist and started dragging her toward the direction of the train station.

"Well, they're getting along well," Konan stated. "I wish Sasori good luck."

"About what?" Kakuzu asked, walking toward them with Kisame and Pain behind him.

"Kisame knows...right?" Konan said, ignoring Kakuzu for a moment.

"Of course, Konan."

"_**What**_?" Kakuzu hissed. He did not liked to be ignored, it pissed him off quite a lot.

"Sasori likes Deidara. As in, a crush," the bluenette announced, snickering.

Kakuzu, and Hidan's eyes widened.

"Holy fucking bitch ass's Jashin!"

"Hidan!"

"Sorry, but, wait, what the fuck? Puppet fucker likes Dei-chan?" he asked, extremely puzzled.

"Yeah," Konan answered. "And if it goes well, he won't be 'Puppet fucker' anymore, he'll be 'Dei fucker'."

Everyone laughed at that. But still, that wasn't something that needed to be implanted in their minds. Just...don't think about it. Oh, the best way to get someone to think about something is to tell them to not think about it.

Don't think of your grandparents having sex!

Oh, you twisted fuck.

Well, back to the story.

"Wait, Konan, did he actually say that, or did you just draw that conclusion?" Kakuzu questioned.

"He told me last night. He called up Nagato and me, and said that he _like _liked Deidara. So, now, I'm starting a new project!"

Kisame raised an eyebrow. "What kind of project?"

"I'm glad you asked!" Konan exclaimed. "It's called, 'Get Deidara and Sasori Together at All Costs'!"

Hidan's eyebrows furrowed, and he frowned. "Wait, Konan-bitch."

"What? Do you have a problem with it?" Konan shot back, slightly offended.

"Well, yeah...kind of..." Hidan muttered.

"I think I know," Itachi butted in, holding up her pointer finger. "We have to help her out with her dad first. Because there's no way they can hold up a relationship like that. Also, if her dad ever found out that she's dating someone again, he would think that she's told them her secret. I mean, she already has, but I think it's more important that we think about her and our safety before we go out and do anything 'fun'," she explained. "I definitely want for them to get together, but we want anything that doesn't belong in our life, out of it, before we do anything. There's a chance of risking a life here."

Konan looked down. "You're right, Itachi-chan. What are we going to do?"

Pain frowned and folded his arms. "It's been about a month since she told us, and I really don't want to think about the kind of things she's been having to go through. I think we want to solve this as soon as possible. Itachi, you too. We've said this once and we'll say it again. We can't keep too much from each other, because the only person who's going to end up being hurt is ourselves.

"We'll solve all of this. We'll figure it out, eventually. As Pain, I promise."

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><p><strong>AN: ***stops screaming* Don't worry, it wasn't that I forgot the quotes at the end of the second to last paragraph. It's supposed to be like that.

Make sure to review! They make me so happy!


	22. Chapter 22: At Sasori's

**A/N: **This is one of my kind of longer chapters, but that's obvious because there are hints of Sasodei, and this will be my second year of obsessing over this pairing.

Quick question to y'all. How good is Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler? My friend is really annoying me about it, and she was like, "Well, if Naruto's your favorite now, Black Butler will be after you watch it," and then I was like, "Gio, I've loved Naruto for at least four years, and have seen more than 20 different anime from it, and it remains as my favorite. What do _you_ think?" But of course, it's just because she doesn't like Naruto. It's annoying, because she hasn't even watched it yet. Yeah, that's right, ThePoweroftheGio, I'm talking to you!

So that was weird.

Before I start my replies to reviews, I would like to give a quick shoutout to AkatsukiMemberEien. She writes beautiful stories, and the one I inspired me to do this shoutout was a Sasodei oneshot called "I Will Never Stop Loving You". This is the link, and if you haven't read it/love Sasodei, I suggest you read it! It's very heart warming, and touching. It made me cry for about ten minutes. .net/s/6875511/1/I_Will_Never_Stop_Loving_You

Okay, so now that that is good, I'll be starting my replies:

**SasoxDei****: **:)

**Sasunarufan101: ***watches a pissed off Sasori* Lol, and well, I do have to insert those hints, since I do have to not lie on my summary thing. X) Oh, and well, Dei-chan listens to American bands like Panic! At the Disco and 30 Seconds to Mars (which I listen to too) and they are both (on wikipedia) classified as "emo". Her music tastes kind of are based off of mine, as she mostly listens to rock.

**Kuroui: **Ah...the "something" about the police and jail thing _will_ soon be revealed...kukukuku-wait, Orochimaru, get out of here, you pedo snake! *Orochimaru walks out*

Chapter 22! Oh yeah, and school actually doesn't start for another month. My bad! :P

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><p>Chapter 22: At Sasori's (I'm not very creative...right now)<p>

~*~*~Back at Sasori's House~*~*~

Sasori pulled out a key from his black bag, unlocking the door. He gently opened it, and signaled with his hands, "Ladies first."

Deidara snickered and walked into the house, Sasori following soon after.

"Is no one here, yeah?" she asked, looking around. No other presences were felt in the house.

"I...didn't tell you?" Sasori inquired in reply.

The first-year frowned and tilted her head a bit. "What-well, I mean you did, but like, don't you live here with anyone else, yeah?"

Sasori sighed. "Don't even bring that up," he muttered.

"O-Oh...I-I'm sorry, un! I d-didn't mean to—"

"It's okay, I know you didn't. Here, c'mon, you can help me study in the living room."

Deidara looked around, taking in the objects of each room they passed. There was the front door, then the entranceway. There was a step, and a tiny room or hall, it was impossible to tell which. The only thing "in" it was a mirror and stairs. She wondered if his bedroom was upstairs. There was an arch, and it lead to the living room and kitchen and dining room.

The living room and kitchen and dining room were practically just room. In the farthest side, a TV set was at the back, with many shelves of books and miscellaneous items. It was dark on that side. Sasori turned the light on the other side, where there was a couch on the wall, cabinets on the opposite wall and a fridge and stove lining up with them. A table that had four chairs was placed on the left. Over a little further on the left, Deidara had thought to believe there was a bathroom and shower. (1)

"Do you want something to drink?" Sasori asked politely as he set his black bag down in front of the couch. He walked over toward the fridge, looking into it. "I've gotten water and tea."

"Tea, un," Deidara requested. She set her bag next to Sasori's and plopped down on the couch. Then she remembered something. "Danna, what happened to your grandmother, un? How is she doing."

The red head flinched as he pulled the tea jug out of the refrigerator. "I haven't talked to her since that time with you, Deidara. But she sends me money regularly, it's like she has no ending to it."

Deidara looked solemnly at the patterned carpet solemnly. "Maybe...maybe it's better if you live with her, yeah?" she suggested. _I wonder what happened between those two...?_

Sasori flinched again as he poured the tea into two cups. "I wouldn't even consider it," he hissed.

Deidara glanced at the expression on his face. His eyes were narrowed, and his hand looked like it was going to crush the jug of tea any moment now. She decided that making him angry wasn't going to get them anywhere, so she dropped the subject. "Oh, un. Say, why did you need help with English, yeah? As long as I have known, you never cared about it."

He thought for a moment.

"_Well, you're in danger of flunking English, so if you learn some English from Deidara, it can also help you with her tastes in music!"_

Hell would freeze over before he said that. Because then she would ask why she was interested in her tastes in music, then he would have to tell her that was because he liked her. That wasn't his perfect way of confessing to a girl. Not at all.

"I guess it's because I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to do when I grow up, Deidara." It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the real reason. "I just figured that if I end up doing a job that requires some skill in English, I shouldn't be almost flunking out of that class, you know?" He put the tea jug back into the fridge, and looked around for something to eat.

Ah ha.

"You like Puré?" (2) Sasori asked.

Deidara raised an eyebrow. What was—oh yeah. She loved anything sweet and sour.

"Yeah, un! I love it!"

Sasori sighed at the box. "You can take all of them. Honestly, they're too much for my taste buds." He carried the box of Puré over, setting them down in front of Deidara. The red head went back to get the tea, and handed one to Deidara, as well as keeping one for himself.

"Really, un? I mean, thereought to be at least 100 in here, yeah," the girl questioned worriedly.

"That's nothing. My grandmother sends me way too much stuff," Sasori reassured. Under his breath, he mumbled. "It's like she's trying to bribe me back into living with her."

"What was that last thing, un?"

The red head shook his head. "Nothing. Okay, so let's go ahead and start." He unzipped his bag, and pulled out a notebook and textbook. (3)

Deidara continued sitting, and leaned over toward Sasori. Since he was a grade above her, it was most likely that the textbooks were different, especially in level of difficulty.

"So, we're studying here now..." Sasori started, turning to page thirty-one.

"About speeches at weddings?" Deidara asked, making a face. What kind of section was that?

"Just...help me with the vocabulary and reading the actual textbook. I don't get any of the pronunciations..." he muttered sheepishly.

The blonde shrugged and scooted next to him. "Wait! I have a great idea, un. Do you like music, yeah?"

Sasori blinked. "Oh, uh, yes?"

"Well, you could learn it with American music, yeah!"

He tilted his head a bit. "You listen to that stuff? And can actually understand it?"

Deidara giggled. "Of course, silly Danna!" She hit him on the head with his own pencil. "I was in America for five years, un. I learned quite a lot in that time, yeah."

"Okay...then sing a couple of lines from a song."

The girl cheeks turned pink. "Oh...w-well, okay, un." She took a large breath. "_This never ending story, paid for with pride and fate; We all fall short of glory, Lost in our fate!_"

She took a large breath in.

"Impressive," Sasori complimented.

"Thanks and all, yeah. But shouldn't we really get started on your English?"

The red head sweat dropped. "Yeah, I guess so."

~*~*~Four Hours Later, 8 o'clock~*~*~

"_On a mountain he sits, not a gold but of sin—_"

"No, Danna, you have to bring your voice up higher on 'gold', yeah! We already went through this!"

Sasori growled. "Okay, okay. Calm down. Wait, why is 'sin' missing from the video?" he asked.

Deidara smiled. "Oh, uh, that's because the original word wasn't sin, yeah."

He raised an eyebrow, confused. "What was it then?"

"Uhh...it was 'shit', yeah."

"What the hell does that mean?" (4)

"Well...it technically means just crap, yeah."

"Oh...okay. So, can I say that part?"

"No, un! It's bad for your health!"

"What?"

"It's bad for your health!"

"I know what you said, but that doesn't make sense."

"Yes it does, un!"

"Elaborate."

"No, un."

"Heh. I win."

"You're so childish, Danna."

"Shut the hell up."

Deidara looked up at the clock. "Oh, it's already eight, Danna! S-Sorry, I should get home soo—" She had been trying to pack, but Sasori grabbed her arm.

"You can...stay the night. I'll call your dad, okay?"

She was hesitant at first, but nodded slowly. "You...won't try anything funny, right, un?" she asked, a hint of suspicious lurking in her cerulean eyes.

Sasori smirked, picking up his phone to call Deidara's house. "Oh, how could you think such a thing?" he mocked. "Oh, here, give me your house number. You're dad's home, right?"

"I think so, un." Deidara grabbed her phone, and flipped it open, surfing for the number. She found it, and handed her phone to Sasori.

"Okay, thanks."

BRRR BRRR BRRR

After three rings, a deep, intimidating voice picked up. "Hello?" the voice asked. It must be Deidara's dad.

"Oh, um, hello, sir. I'm Deidara's friend Sasori, and I was wondering if she was allowed to stay here for the night. I promise not to try anything, sir," Sasori explained.

"Huh. You're not a guy, are you?"

Sasori made a very funny look. If you say that you won't try anything funny, wouldn't you be the opposite gender? I mean, unless your gay. And what girl is named Sasori?

"Yes, sir...I _am_ boy..."

He swore he could hear Deidara's dad mutter, "Fucking bitch..."

"Okay then. Just don't think of trying anything on my daughter, alright? Or else."

He rolled his eyes. Yeah, who was trying something on their daughter, huh, he wanted to say, but held himself back. "Yes sir. I promise. Thank you. Goodbye." He ended the call and put his phone down.

"He says it's fine. I probably would have done it until he said it was okay anyway."

"Thanks, Sasori no Danna."

"It's nothing. Now, do you wanna have something to eat?"

"Sure, un," Deidara said, standing up.

"Hey, what're you doing?"

"Making dinner, un."

"You're a 'guest' here. I'll do it."

"Can't you be sexist for once, Danna?" she asked playfully. Sasori rolled his eyes in response. "Okay then."

~*~*~10 PM~*~*~

"Danna!" Deidara called.

"What?" Sasori called back. He was currently studying over the last of his fifty vocabulary words for the month while Deidara was taking a shower. He had taken one about fifteen minutes ago, and now he was clad in long pants and a baggy shirt. With boxers, obviously.

"Umm...well, um, c-can you g-get my panties, un?" (5)

Sasori's eyes burst out of their sockets. "Deidara, _no_, I will not get your panties. Just get out here and get them yourself."

Again, how wrong that sounded.

"Fine, un! And you can be a pervert and watch me while I come out naked, hmmm!" she yelled.

Okay, so as much as he would be amused by that situation, there would be a very large problem, especially since Deidara was 16...sure, it was technically over the "legal consent" of 13, but he would prefer to wait until 18 to have se—wait, what the fuck? He wasn't even going out with her, what the hell was he thinking about? He wanted to scream. But he kept his cool.

"Okay, okay. Fine, brat. Where the hell is your "panties"?"

"In my bag, yeah. There's a purple smaller bag in there, just give me that."

Sasori searched through the bag, and sure enough, a smaller purple bag was in it. Not bothering (or not wanting?) to peek into it, he flung it into the bathroom. "Just...hurry up," he muttered, blushing a little. He leaned against the wall next to the door. "What's in the bag anyway?"

"My clothes, un. I like to be prepared."

Sasori rolled his eyes. "Well, aren't you?"

It was quiet for about two minutes, until Deidara spoke again. "Okay, I'm done changing."

"You better not be naked," Sasori warned.

"Why would I be?" she asked, opening the door. Obviously, she was wearing clothes. "Seriously, Danna, you can be so perverted sometimes, un."

"You're just too innocent, Deidara," he shot back. Aw, she looked so cute. Somehow, he was almost in the position that she was trying to make him ask her out. Well, she had a red nightgown on. Red. The color of his hair.

"Well, I apologize, un," Deidara huffed, putting her hands on her hips.

Sasori chuckled a bit, looking at the girl. "Should we keep studying?" he asked.

Deidara yawned and stretched her arms above her head. "Let's take a break, un. I've had enough for one day, yeah."

He nodded and walked over toward the couch, shutting his book. "When we sleep, we can sleep on the couch. I'll feel bad if I make you sleep on the floor. And it wouldn't be exactly right if you slept in the same bed as me."

Deidara rolled her eyes. "Yeah, we're not exactly Konan and Pain, yeah. I swear, they have sex on a daily basis, except when Konan-chan is PMSing, un."

"That woman is quite scary when she's PMSing," Sasori replied. He pulled a blanket out of a closet as well as two fluffy pillows, tossing one pillow to Deidara.

She caught it with ease. "But at least she's nice the rest of the time, yeah."

"Nice? She's more like a rabid fangirl of everything," he snorted, randomly setting down the blanket on the couch randomly, and tossing his pillow on the left side.

Deidara followed his lead and put her on the right side. She ran under the blanket. "Really, un? She kind of seems like the stoic type, yeah."

Sasori snorted again. "Are you kidding me? That's her outer character, more like."

"How was Pain ever able to go out with her then, un?"

"Do you expect me to know the answer?"

"Kind of, un..."

"Well, I'm not very sure then."

"Hey, do you want to more American music, un?"

"Yeah, sure."

Deidara tried to stand up from the blanket to grab her ITouch from the stand next to Sasori, but the blanket twisted around her foot, and she tripped.

"AH!"

Sasori threw his hands forward, not that he needed to. It was a fucking couch; she wasn't going to get hurt. Deidara's face turned red as she realized that she was pressed against Sasori's chest from his catch.

"A-ah! S-sorry, un!" she apologized quickly, blushing.

"Er, uh, don't...worry," Sasori replied, looking away.

"Maybe...n-no music tonight, yeah," Deidara laughed, pulling away.

Sasori smirked. "Hm. Yeah, let's just go to sleep." He lay down, his head on his pillow. Deidara did the same, and their feet barely met in the middle.

"Good night, Danna. Art is an explosion, yeah."

"Night, Deidara. And art is eternal."

* * *

><p>(1) Sasori's house is based off the house my grandmother and grandfather used to live in while in Japan. But they just <em>had<em> to come here... -_-' I wish they stayed in Japan...obviously for my own convenience. XD

(2) Puré is a type of candy in Japan. It's gummy...and sweet and sour. It's freaking awesome.

(3) Textbooks here and textbooks in Japan are two completely different things. Over there, they are barely even one centimeter sometimes.

(4) Remember, they're speaking _Japanese_, but it's written in English, so as much as they swear, they don't know the actual word in English. Get it?

(5) I love torturing Dei. :)

Review, dammit! Don't favorite and alert this story and me, and not review! :( :) So review! Grr...Or else I'll send Hidan after you. And if you like Hidan, I'll send Orochi-pedo after you, because, who the fuck likes a disgusting snake pedophile bastard? :D


	23. Chapter 23: The Athletic Festival

**A/N: **Sorry I didn't update yesterday. I was just...well...just...well, I had a long list of excuses...but I can't find it anywhere, so I guess I don't really have any. X)

Well, I'm on another stupid, _fucking, dumbass_ case of writer's block. .

...sorry.

So, my animal science teacher has cancer. Aww...But she says that it's not serious, and it's a super slow moving one. Apparently she had melanoma before, and she survived it, so I'm pretty sure she's going to be fine.

Well, I do still, and forever will appreciate my reviewers and favorite...rs...XD

**Kuroui: ***images of OroKabu* ! It burns!

**NinjaPrincessHaruka: **X) Well, yeah, it would probably make her sore. But they don't actually have sex on a daily basis...well, to simply put it, they don't have sex at all yet...XD Haha, well, I guess eventually I'll read Kuroshitsuji...

**SasoxDei: **:P Oh, no, you didn't! I just use :) when I can't think of anything to say! XD

**Glitterthorn: **Heehee...I love torturing those two. :33

**ChibiA: **Oh really? XD Well, I just think that it doesn't really matter whether they have an account or too lazy to log in, I want everyone to have a voice. And thanks. ;)

So, now for another writer's block chapter! :D

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><p>Chapter 23: The Athletic Festival<p>

October...

Konan tied her white headband onto her forehead a little tighter. She pumped a fist in the air.

"Alright, Akatsuki. This year's athletic festival is going to start in two minutes. Nagato, Kisame and I are the white team, and Kakuzu, Sasori, Itachi, Deidara, and Hidan are on the red. We might be on different teams, but we'll try our best, got it?" the bluenette cried, grinning.

Her short, blue ponytail fluttered in the wind with her white headband, and she began to walk off with Kisame and Nagato.

"Okay everyone!" The speakers blared in their ears to the point where the speakers themselves were moving a little. "Gather around at the middle point on the field, and we'll be starting our opening ceremony."

Full of energy, everyone rushed to the middle point of the field. After everyone was gathered, on of the teachers stepped up onto a very high stand.

Five minutes later...

"So, I hope you all will keep in mind during the athletic festival not to be too pumped up and do something stupid..."

Everyone was silent as the man stepped off the staged. Nobody liked second year teacher Hashimoto. He was Sasori's teacher in 2D, and the red head always talked about how he thought that he was a pedophile.

The principal cleared his throat a little. "And also, if you do get injured, please make sure to visit our nurse, Ms. Agehara.

Some of the people smiled. Ms. Agehara was one of the kindest nurses that they had.

Deidara pointed toward the first event at the program sheet. "So, the 100 meter run for the second graders are first, yeah," she pointed out.

"Yeah. If you get first place, then you get three points for your color team," Sasori explained.

"When are you running, un?" she asked.

The red head shrugged, replying, "Fifth. I'll go when the second row finishes."

"I'll be cheering for you...yeah..." Deidara smiled, blushing a little.

Kizu suddenly popped up. "Hey, Dei-cha—"

The blonde backhanded the first year. "Fuck off, yeah."

He fell on the floor, half unconscious. Sasori looked at Kizu with a blank face. "Is this that guy that's all over Itachi?" he asked.

"Yeah, un. He goes for everyone 'hot' girl, but he mainly bothers Itachi, yeah."

"Oi! Sasori! Let's go! Fifth lanes up soon! Quit hanging with your girlfriend!"

Sasori glared at his acquaintance, Yusuke.

"She's not my girlfriend. But I'm coming. See you later, Deidara."

Deidara waved, and watched the second lane runners go about halfway. She would've cheered for Kisame, but he was on the white team. She was on red.

Kisame had fast feet, his body was muscular, and he was tall. It made sense why Itachi liked him. Well...maybe except for the blue skin.

"Go Kisame..."

Deidara turned around. "Itachi...un..."

Itachi walked up to Deidara. "I wish I could cheer for him," she mumbled.

The blonde smiled. "I wish too."

In one more second, Kisame crossed the finish line through the white ribbon, coming in first.

Sure, it hurt the red team, but Itachi was excited. Her boyfriend had gotten first.

Deidara grinned, and put her friend in a head lock. "Aw, who's all shy now, yeah? Haha, un!"

"Off, Deidara," Itachi warned.

A large burst of a horn screamed as the third row of second year runner started on their hundred meters.

Feet continuously patted on the ground, colliding harshly with the maroon track.

"You two waiting for Sasori?" Kakuzu asked, coming closer to the two first-years.

"Yeah, un. He's running up...now." Deidara had waited until the third row of runners passed through the white ribbon.

The sound of the horn burst, and five runners that included Sasori began sprinting toward the finish line.

"C'mon, Danna!" the blonde yelled.

Sasori peered at the first-year with his eyes, and sped up. It was easier to do when the girl you liked cheered you on.

Sweat puddle down the Akasuna's face as he looked down to see he passed the half line.

Only one student was in front of him, and it would make sense, since he was one of the relay racers. Those guys _were_ fast.

He continued running, and managed to keep his place in second as he crossed the finish line.

A first-year, specifically a _persistent_ female that was a member of _his fanclub_ held his red ribbon out to him.

"Good job, Sasori-kun! I'm really happy that you got second place! I'll give you your ribbon..." She smirked before continuing. "On the condition that you kiss me."

Sasori's left eye twitched, and he glared at the girl, snatching his red ribbon from her hand. "If you were the last living person on this planet besides me, I still wouldn't kiss you."

After all the grades had finished running, the red and white team divided into halves and started the toss-the-ball-into-the-basket event.

As soon as the basket holders signaled the start, small bean bags began flying in all different directions, hitting everyone. Barely any went into the basket.

Hidan gave a blank look at the two teams. He sipped a bit of water, and smacked his lips. "Man, they're such fucking dumbasses, aren't they Kuzu?" he commented, mocking the stupidity of the two teams.

Kakuzu studied his own team for a moment, then glanced at the white. "Well, I think Konan and Pain make a pretty good duo..."

Hidan raised a brow, and put his hand over his eyebrows, using it as a shade. In response, Kakuzu pointed toward the leaders of the Akatsuki. "Over there."

And sure enough, Konan was being the unpredictable Konan. At that second, her foot was placed upon Pain's shoulder, and boom! She jumped up, slamming about six small bean bags into the basket.

"Wow! Tenshi is on a roll! Wait, is that even a legal move?"

Konan slammed down on the ground, and her face looked pained. Well, who wouldn't be hurt landing from five meters above?

"Thanks, Nagato," she said, nodding at him.

Pain smiled back.

Due to the fact that the author is not in a writing moment, and is also a lazy ass and has writer's block, she is going to the last event of the athletic festival—the relay race.

"Who's running for the relay race?" Konan asked, leaning over toward her boyfriend.

Pain held up a blue sheet of paper. "There's 36 runners for each gender, since there's four classes for every grade. So that three times three, which equals nine. And nine times four, which equals thirty-six."

The bluenette rolled her eyes. "I know how to do math, Nagato. Who's running in Akatsuki?"

Pain looked at the paper again. "Kisame, Kakuzu, Deidara, and Itachi. Now let's go down. The girl's race is about to start, and I think Deidara and Itachi are going to be melting from how nervous they are."

Konan smiled. "Well, they might be on the other team, but we can still silently cheer for them. For now, let's just go see if Kisame's alright."

Pain shrugged and nodded. Whatever.

"Dammit, I'm so nervous, un..." Deidara mumbled. Her heart thumped even fast as the second runners started and ran quickly and swiftly toward the third runners.

"You think I'm not?" Itachi shot, trying to distract herself from her anxiety by stretching. _Calm down. Stress solves nothing but the problem of existence._

Deidara frowned, and reached for her foot. Suddenly, she stood up straight, and began walking toward her post. "Okay, I'm ready, yeah! There's no reason to be so nervous, un."

"Third runners have passed their batons! Fourth runners are up! Fifth and six runners, get ready!"

The blonde's heart began to speed up again.

"Deidara."

Sasori stood on the side lines, a hang on his side.

"Yeah, un?"

"You better run. Fast."

Deidara almost fell over. Leave it to Sasori for a good encouragement.

"Well, uh, sure, yeah."

"Fifth runners are running! Sixth and seventh runners, are you ready?"

The first-year jumped, and her heart beat hard against her chest. She tried to calm herself down. The runner's were closing in. She stretched her right arm out, and bent down to get as much power in her opening dash as possible.

"Here, Iwakatsu-san! Grab it!" the second-year girl called, swinging the baton toward her.

"Leave it to me, yeah!" Deidara yelled back, taking off.

"And Iwakatsu and Misaki have gone off! They're both in the same place! But it only counts who touches the line first!"

Deidara tried to move her legs faster, doing her best to surpass Misaki Nami.

She looked up, seeing a glimpse of the runner that was going after her. The blonde slammed her feet repeatedly on the ground, feeling the stiff pavement slapping against the balls of her feet through her shoes.

"Ah!"

Nami almost tripped, sending her about four meters behind Deidara. But she couldn't lower her guard yet.

"C'mon, NAMI! DON'T LET IWAKATSU BEAT YOU!"

Deidara could hear the clenching of Nami's teeth. "I know!" she shouted back, only becoming more aggravated.

Deidara came closer and closer to the brunette third year. She was reaching out, trying to stretch as much as she could to grab the baton from the blonde.

"C'mon, Iwakatsu-san!" she called. "You can do it!"

_A few more..._ Deidara looked back. There was one first year only about two meters away from her. _Dammit, un!_

"Hurry up, brat!" Sasori called, knowing that the nickname would piss Deidara off, causing her to put more energy.

"Shut...up, yeah!" Deidara yelled back, slapping the baton into the brunette's hand.

"Go, un!" the blonde called to the third year as she passed the baton. Unable to stop, she ran toward the grass, where she finally fell down on her knees.

"Heh...ha...I...ha...got it...un..."

Deidara coughed and wheezed a bit, her breath coming out in tiny gasps. Sasori patted her back reassuringly. "Good job Deidara. It's all good now."

Kakuzu nodded. "You gave the baton out first. That was really good."

Hidan smirked. "I told you guys she was one hell of a woman."

Ninth runner. Uchiha Itachi.

_Okay, I'm the last one..._ Itachi thought. _Deidara's finished her hundred...and Kakuzu and Kisame will be up for the boys' race._

She stretched out her legs. Itachi was extremely nervous, but she didn't want that to get in the way.

"The seventh runners have tossed the batons! Next up are the eigth runners! C'mon everyone, let's hear some more cheering!"

Deidara cupped her hands over her mouth. "Itachi, un! You're next! Show them what you got, yeah!"

Itachi's heart began beating faster. 20 meters...15 meters...10 meters...5 meters...3 meters...

Thup.

"And there we go! Two of the runners have passed the batons! Alright, then, now the other two have as well! Let's get a moving on, everyone!

Itachi ran off.

"C'MON GUYS!"

"First year, red team's Uchiha Itachi is off to a good start! Can she beat white team's Mikata Airi, though?"

Everyone cheered loudly for both teams.

Kisame narrowed his eyes a little. "Itachi...she should be much fast than this..." he muttered.

Kakuzu and Pain looked at him. "..."

_Guh...how much further?_ Itachi thought. _My legs...they hurt so much...I'm going to slow down if...but...but..._

Itachi shut her eyes. _I don't want to lose!_

Time almost stopped, and everything seemed to move in slow motion.

Then,

Tink.

Thud.

"SHIT! ITACHI!" Kisame screamed, standing up.

"GET UP, UN!" Deidara yelled, cupping her hands over her mouth. "HURRY!"

"C'MON BITCH! GET UP!" Hidan shouted.

_Shit, the baton!_


	24. Chapter 24: You're a Disgrace

**A/N: **I'm...so...fucking...pissed.

I wrote this entire thing, then I clicked save, and I pressed yes on my word. But the save as thing didn't come up...and it didn't save anywhere else, so I had to write it over again on the same fucking day. I am sooooooo pissed.

I'm sorry. I'm just in a really bad mood today. I read a story, and it made me really angry and annoyed, and even Spongebob could barely cheer me up. Then this fucking happened. GAH.

You know what'll cheer me up actually?

You're probably thinking reviews. And yes, that's true. But I'm going to get my black eyeliner and turn into Deidara and blow shit up.

I wrote this last night...(technically this night if it was last night), but I'm uploading the chapter in Wednesday morning because I need to get back into the thing of updating in the morning of where I live. Cht.

Thank you for the reviews.3

**SasoxDei: **And poor her...you'll see what happens...

**Chibi A: **Haha, thank youz~! :)

Hey, I finally found my Eye liner! I'm happier now! :D

Gonna go make myself a Deidara...

Now you enjoy this chapter. Haha. X) I feel so much better now.

*Looks up to see yesterday* Damn, I was such a prick! .

* * *

><p>Chapter 24: You're a Disgrace<p>

"Thanks, Kisame..." Itachi murmured, looking down at the ground. Her back rested against a tree, and her sweat drenched through her white athletic outfit.

"It's no problem," Kisame replied, smiling at his girlfriend. He pulled out a little more from the bandage roll, and wrapped another layer around Itachi's ankle. The first year had sprained her ankle when she had fallen.

The blue-skinned second year stood up, nodding and admiring his handiwork. "Can you stand up?" he asked, holding out his hand.

Itachi used the trunk of the tree and Kisame's hand to help herself up. "I think so..." But the second she let go of her boyfriend's hand and the grip on the tree, she fell back down. "Guh..."

Kisame thought for a moment. "Oh, here." He kneeled down, and put his right arm underneath Itachi's knees and the other behind her back, supporting it.

"Hey! Kisame! What are you-!"

He chuckled a bit. "Don't tense so much, relax. It makes it harder for me to hold you."

Itachi snarled, but eventually relaxed in Kisame's arms. "Are we going back?" she inquired, slowly wrapping both arms around the tall, muscular man's neck.

"Do you want to?" he asked back, but before Itachi could answer, Konan's worried voice called out.

"Ita-chan! Are you okay?" she yelled, running up to the duo. The rest of the Akatsuki followed behind her.

Itachi nodded slowly. "Somehow. I'll be fine," she reassured.

Konan took a deep breath and sighed. "Thank Jashin. You took a nasty fall back there."

"How did the rest of the relay go?" Itachi was able to watch the ending ceremony, but she hadn't seen the winners of the race, for she had to go to the nurse's office.

Kakuzu spoke up. "Well, it went all pretty well. But you know, in the end, of course _white team won_..."

Pain rolled his eyes. "Oh, get over it, Kakuzu," he snapped.

"Shit, hey, guys," Sasori warned. "Itachi's dad..."

And sure enough, Fugaku walked up toward the Akatsuki. "Itachi, I saw your little 'accident' back on the track..." the raven head commented, stepping closer.

Kisame let Itachi go, since she was beginning to struggle a little against his grip. He didn't want to, but...

"Yes father. I know," Itachi answered, stepping in front of the man known as her father.

Suddenly, his eyes narrowed, and before anything else could be done—

SLAP

Itachi fell to the ground, her cheek red from the slap.

"You're a disgrace to the Uchiha name, Itachi. That was completely uncalled for. Do you know upset you made your mother? I bet Sasuke would be terrified even. You don't just trip like that."

Deidara glared at the long haired man. _What the hell is wrong with him? We can't just let him push Itachi around like that—!_

She made her decision, and stepped toward the elder Uchiha. "Excuse me, un. But I don't think you have to get so upset over something like that. She didn't do it on purpose."

Konan and Pain's eyes widened. _Deidara, no, don't!_

SLAP

Fugaku slapped Deidara against the cheek as well, but Deidara head only turned to the side, and her bangs covered her eyes.

"Don't order me around. I don't care who the hell you think you are or are. You aren't going to tell me how to take care of my child. This is discipline."

The blonde clenched her fists, and turned back to the Uchiha. "_This _is discipline to you, hmmm? I can't believe you! You adults are the worst! I don't care what you think is right for your children; you're supposed to protect them, not hurt them, yeah!" she yelled, her teeth scratching against themselves as her eyes narrowed.

Fugaku's eyes narrowed as well. "You little pieces of shit that call yourselves the Akatsuki are worthless," he muttered and walked off. "Don't think that I'm not done."

He walked off, and left the Akatsuki with silence.

"Itachi, Deidara, are you two okay?" Pain shouted, crouching down.

Deidara nodded. "I've had worse; it's fine. But Itachi..."

Itachi shook her head. "It's okay. I don't really care. It was bound to happen anyway."

Kisame looked into her eyes. "Do you want to stay over today?" he asked, crouching down like Pain on one knee.

Konan's hand trembled. _Why? Why does it always have to be this way?_

BAM

The Akatsuki flinched, everyone turning their heads toward Konan. Her hair shadowed the top portion of her face, but everyone could tell how angered she was.

"Why?" she screamed. "Why does it have to be like this? Why? Why does it have to be us?"

She clenched her fist tighter with every passing second.

"Why? Why? Why...?"

Konan fell down to her knees, and sobbed.

The only sounds that could be heard was her quiet sobbing and the trees rustling in the warm, October wind.

~*~*~No-fucking-vember~*~*~

"Konan...do you think we'll be alright?" Kisame asked worriedly.

Konan fidgeted where she sat. "I don't know Kisame...I just don't know."

Everyone was currently gathered at Konan and Pain's house, discussing the urgent matters of Itachi and Deidara.

"What are we going to do?"

"That's what we're fucking trying to figure out, jackass!"

"Hey, I was just thinking...why haven't we told the police about any of this?" Itachi suddenly asked.

Everyone was listening now. "Wait, you're right. Why haven't we? Why don't we just—"

"Don't, un!" Deidara cried out, worry crossing her face.

Kakuzu looked up. "Why not?"

"Well, I-I—"

"Long fucking story fucking short, we told Shunji, who told the teachers, who told Deidara's dad, who in return fucking ripped Deidara to fucking shreds," Hidan explained.

Sasori raised an eyebrow. "And this has to do with the police ho—"

"EVERY FUCKING THING!" Hidan yelled. "Her dad's only going to deny it, and since we're minors, it makes every fucking thing worse!"

"...since I'm still a minor, un, that means that it doesn't matter if I say it, because my dad is the one who—"

"That's not true! Besides, you can trust us, right?"

"I can...but...I'm afraid to, yeah."

"What do you mean?"

"Shunji fucking broke anything left of trust that she fucking had..."

"Then, what can we do?" Konan yelled. "I want to help...but...there's no possible way to do this..." She bit her lip, trying to hold tears back.

"We...we should all go," Pain said. "It's late, and we don't need anyone hurt as much as possible. Especially Deidara."

They all exchanged their goodbyes before leaving. The door closed, leaving Konan and Pain by themselves.

~*~*~Sasori and Deidara after getting of the Train~*~*~

"Well, I'll see you later, Danna!" Deidara waved goodbye, turning toward the street to her house.

"Wait! Deidara!" Sasori called. He wanted to keep Deidara away from that damned hell fuck of an excuse called home.

She turned around. "Yeah, Danna?"

Oh, shit, he forgot. He had to come up with something. And fast.

"I...I like you. A lot. More than just as a friend..." Sasori muttered, just barely audible enough for Deidara to here.

Holy Jashin, what the hell was he saying?

"I really do like you. I know it's been less than a year since we've met, but you're...so much more different. You're attractive, and you aren't trying to get my attention by being a fucking fangirl..."

He swore his face matched his hair color by now, if it hadn't before.

Deidara's cheeks tinted pink as well. She had been asked out multiple times, but not exactly like this.

"Oh...Danna...I-I'm really flattered...I...I really am...but...I'm sorry, I just...can't now, un."

She looked down at the ground, but she raised her head back up after a moment.

"But..." Deidara smiled up at the puppeteer. "Maybe when everything is all cleared up...when Itachi and I can be happy again...when I can learn to trust again...we can try it, yeah. And...I want to see if...if these feelings I have...are the same ones as you hold, Sasori."

Sasori gave a small smile and nodded. "That would be...nice." Oh...Deidara had just practically confessed to Sasori as well...except without the actual feeling. _I want to see if...if these feelings I have...are the same ones as you hold, Sasori._

Deidara grinned and did the unexpected by hugging him tightly. "Thank you...Danna. For understanding."

The red head smiled very slightly again, and gently returned the hug. "It's nothing."

They stayed like that for a little bit, enjoying each other's embrace, before Deidara did something even more unexpected. She pushed herself to the tips of her toes, and laid a quick, small kiss on the side of Sasori's cheek. Immediately, she retracted, blushing immensely.

"Ah...umm...goodnight, yeah."

Sasori stood dazed for about twenty seconds before realizing he had been kissed.

"Goodnight...Deidara."

They parted their ways, down the dark streets.

_Yume wa toki wo koe_

_Sora ni mayoi_

_Zutto sagashite tsuzuke—_

"Kisame, fuck off," Sasori immediately said into his phone.

"What? Does puppet man have a girlfriend now?"

"Just...quit hiding behind those bushes."


	25. Chapter 25: The Normal School Day

**A/N: **I'M SORRY.

I haven't updated in almost a week. I have a good reason for the first four days, however. Well, it's kind of good. First of all, I'm a procrastinator when it comes to school. And I have Japanese school on Saturdays, and we had summer vacation not too long ago. We had four projects to be done. And guess what? All four, I did on the last week. That's what happens when I'm watching youtube.

I kind wrote part of this on Sunday, then my dad told me to get off the computer. And then I didn't practice my oboe (which I had _actually_ forgotten about), so my dad said no computer on Monday. And I finally got on today, but I was gone all morning because of a three hour cheer practice.

It's about three pm here, but I will, repeat, _I will_ be posting another chapter tomorrow morning. I made you guys wait too long. DX

Oh...I better play oboe today, so I can get on tomorrow.

Thank you for reading!

**Kuroui: **:3 I love protective Sasori...Yep...I kind of always thought Itachi's dad was such a bastard. :/

**SasoxDei: **Lol, I can sense that you are happy. X) Awh, a lot? That sucks...

**glitterthorn: **I almost felt like it was actually too soon though, because I really hate it when it's like: Meet, friends, fall in love in a span of like, two months. Actually, I swear, there's people at my school that are like that...Oh, but I like your stories though!

**Sasunarufan101: **It gave me a laugh. :3 Damn, but I want a laptop...I have a dell...and there's those gigantic super old Macs in my sister's room...

**Anonymous: **Awh, thank you! And sorry for the late update. DX

**Lizard Lover: **Thanks! :)

Quote of the Chapter that Kind of has to do with the this Chapter:

_"What we play is life." _~Louis Armstrong

* * *

><p>Chapter 25: The Normal School Day<p>

Konan sighed, buttoning up her knit jacket that was underneath her still unbuttoned black blazer. The knit jacket was a light pale color that was close to white, but it was still distinguishable from the snow white collared top.

She wondered why it had suddenly gotten so cold when November rolled in. The temperatures immediately dropped down to the forty's (in Fahrenheit) from the warm sixties in the morning.

The third-year woman smirked, dipping her right forefinger in an eyeshadow base container. She smeared it against her eyelids, and then reached for a stick of Maybelline mascara (1) and her container of ultramarine eyeshadow.

"What are you all so smiley about, Konan?"

Konan's smirk grew as she added a last coat of mascara on her left eyelashes. She screwed the top back on and set it down on the vanity desk. Still on the chair, the bluenette swiftly turned around, her short, indigo hair fluttering a little.

"Oh...Nagato," she taunted. "If you only knew..."

She flashed a mischievous smile at him, challenging the orange-haired man to guess what was on her mind.

Pain chuckled a bit, and advanced toward his girlfriend from his spot near the door. He sat down on the pink cushioned bench, wrapping an arm around Konan's shoulders.

"Come on, tell me..." he "begged" playfully.

And then, all of a sudden, Konan blurted out, "Dei-chan is now dating Sasori!" She jumped off of the bench and started twirling around the room until her hip met the side of the bookshelf. The woman fell on the floor dramatically.

Pain just sat their astonished.

"Wait..."

His eyes bulged out of their sockets as a penis was supposed to out of boxers.

"WHAT THE HELL?"

Konan began laughing hysterically on the floor.

"Shit...how did Konan find out?" Sasori asked.

Deidara shrugged dramatically. "I don't know, yeah! But she's probably—"

"Sasori-kun!"

An ebony haired girl that looked somewhat like Itachi began rushing over toward them. She looked in quite a hurry.

Sasori cursed under his breath. _"Fuck. That's Seiki."_

The girl skidded to a stop as she reached in front of the two, but only concentrated on the red head.

"I-Is it t-true?" she breathed, looking as though she was about to cry.

"_What_ is?" Sasori snarled, flashing her a look that she was lower than the ground they walked on.

"T-that you're d-dating someone now?" Seiki Ai answered/questioned.

"My personal life has nothing to do with you," the red head shot back. He grabbed Deidara's arm tightly, muttering, "Let's go," before leaving the fangirl's heart to shatter.

As they reached a place where Ai could no longer be seen, Deidara finally spoke up.

"D-Danna...please let go of my arm, un. It hurts like hell, yeah," she whimpered, trying to break free of Sasori's naturally iron-vice grip.

Upon hearing that, the second-year immediately let go, realizing he was hurting the blonde.

"Sorry," he apologized.

Deidara shook her head. "It's fine...it's just that..." She was quiet for about ten seconds before she inhaled sharply and pulled the sleeve of her pale knit jacket up.

Underneath the right sleeve were three brand new cuts. They weren't bleeding, but it was outright obvious they were new from the color.

Sasori looked at it with a pitiful glance. But before he could spurt another apology, clatters of a pair of feet sounded on the other end of the hall. The artistic duo turned their heads to see Itachi, looking extremely stressed.

"Someone needs to put a cork up Kizu's mouth _and ass_," she hissed with fake nonchalance.

"Is he hitting on you again?" Sasori asked calmly, not wanting to get murdered by a certain Uchiha. Especially because she was a girl.

Itachi sighed angrily. "Yes. But now he's just following me around like a lost puppy dog. Oh, and by the way, are you two dating?"

The question _almost_ caught Sasori and Deidara off guard. Deidara blinked, and Sasori shut his eyes and shook his head.

"No? Because from what I heard, you two practically are?"

"Eh? Who did you here from, un?"

"Kisame," Itachi answered. "He said that he was watching you two when you—"

"He saw _that_, un?" Deidara yelled, blushing furiously. It was embarrassing enough to kiss Sasori when they were alone, but Kisame had to be watching them? "Wait, un. How could he have been watching us, yeah? We were—"

"There are such things called bushes, Deidara," Sasori responded for Itachi. "I found out after he called me."

"You...you...ugh!" Deidara threw her hands up in air, pouting.

Itachi chuckled. "So you two..._aren't_ going out?"

Sasori grumbled something under his breath before replying. "We aren't yet, but it's kind of like we are. And how does almost the entire school know?"

The raven head shrugged. "Kisame? Oh, and by the way, Pain is looking for you two. I'll tell him where you are."

"Is it the same question, yeah?"

"Pretty much."

With that, Itachi disappeared around the corner.

"Dammit, yeah."

"Since Kisame was the one who started it, should we go kill him?" Sasori suggested.

"Not so fast, un. First, we take out all of his entrails. Then, we cut up his back and pour lemon juice on it, yeah. And _then_ we kill him."

The red head placed his right hand gently on Deidara's. "You need to put that brain to work like that more often, brat."

Deidara giggled a bit. "I'm not a brat, yeah," she defended.

"Oh really, no?" Sasori pushed his face a little downwards and closer to Deidara's. Deidara tried to back away, but the hand on her head moved around her shoulders, immobilizing the top half.

"N-n-no, u-un," the blonde sputtered.

Sasori smirked, leaning down to gently—

"See, I _told _you Nagato!"

Sasori and Deidara immediately pulled away from each other, and Deidara almost screamed. But a different scream was heard, the one from their leader.

"Oh my me..." he muttered. His eyes were the size of saucer plates, and his mouth hung open. "Konan...holy shit..."

Sasori folded his arms in aggravation. "What the hell did you do, Konan?" he hissed, waiting her replying.

"Kisame," she stated.

That actually did explain it in the best way. Sure, Kisame was really kind and stuff, but he was kind of a...blabbermouth.

"Are we still up for the lemon juice, un?" Deidara asked Sasori.

Sasori nodded.

Pain raised an eyebrow. "Lemon juice?"

"_First, we take out all of his entrails. Then, we cut up his back and pour lemon juice on it, yeah. And then we kill him, yeah_," Deidara quoted herself.

"Sounds fun..."

Pain rolled his eyes. "_So_..._are_ you two going out?"

Deidara shrunk back. "That's all we've been asked all morning, un."

"Well, are you?" the orange haired man asked impatiently.

Sasori folded his arms again. "We'll tell you the truth. Well, Konan probably told you, but I asked Deidara out, and Deidara told me that she wanted to wait, and then we hugged, and then she kissed me."

Konan's face lit up. "Where?"

"On...the cheek?"

"Aw, dammit. I wanted it to be the mouth."

The red head rolled his eyes. "And so did I, but it doesn't really matter."

Konan turned around, and began to leave with her boyfriend. "Yeah, well you two can smooch all you want, but do it when I'm around."

"When hell freezes over."

* * *

><p>Today was actually a happy day at Shinobi High.<p>

...

If you were an Akatsuki member. Kind of.

Why?

Because. Now shut up and keep reading.

* * *

><p>"Get the hell away from me, Kizu," Itachi hissed.<p>

"Aw, c'mon sweetie...don't be so harsh on me..."

"I wouldn't fucking do that if I were fucking you~" Hidan taunted, grinning maniacally at Takeichi.

Kizu spit on Hidan's desk. "What, I'm gonna explode?"

Hidan spit back, but on the other male's face. "Uhh...heh, well, close ass enough."

Takeichi's eye twitched, and he walked off.

Hidan turned around and looked at Deidara. "Did you bring them?"

Deidara rolled her eyes and pulled out a small package that was shaped like a candy wrapper. "When do I not, yeah?"

All three first-years gave an evil smile. It was almost time for lunch. Deidara reached over toward her left and gave Itachi the item.

Itachi nodded with expectation toward the item. "Good."

Soon enough, the bell rang, signaling their lunch break. The teacher clapped her hands twice, and announced, "All right then class. Have your lunch, and be ready for art next." With that, she exited the room.

Deidara leaned back in her chair as she opened her lunch on her desk. "Ah...this is going to be one of the greatest days of my life, yeah."

She and Hidan glanced toward Itachi who was currently getting up out of her seat.

"Kizu."

Almost immediately, Takeichi turned around to face Itachi. His lunch was already out on his desk.

"Learn from your mistakes," Itachi simply said. She had Takeichi's full on attention, and with that for an advantage, she shoved the item under the wrapping of his bento.

"What?" Takeichi asked, raising an eyebrow and grinning.

"Nothing."

Itachi walked back toward Hidan and Deidara, leaving a confused Takeichi to fend for himself.

"That fucking sucked, Itachi," Hidan said, unimpressed.

"It doesn't matter," she shot back in a harsh whisper. "I would've gotten his attention no matter what."

"Okay, okay, you two, yeah. Now shhh. It should go off in about ten seconds, un."

10...

9...

8...

7...

6...

5...

4...

3...

2...

1...

**BANG**

"HOLY SHIT!"

"What the hell, Takeichi?"

"What the fuck was that?"

And as much as the rest of the class was scared shitless (possibly with some literal terms...) Deidara, Hidan, and Itachi were close to suffocating from their own laughter.

Exploding Lunches?

Check.

* * *

><p>Sasori groaned. If it wasn't bad enough this morning, he was continuously bombarded with questions about his relationship status.<p>

"Saso—"

All right, that's it.

"_No, _I am _not_ in a relationship. However, _yes_, I _am_ taken. How that is possible, you may ask that man." He pointed toward Kisame, who had (un?)fortunately was moved to the same class as Sasori.

These were one of those unfortunate moments.

"Aw, c'mon Sasori, don't be mad forever!" Kisame begged.

They had finally gotten out of the classroom and into the hallway for some quiet, but that wasn't going to last long.

"SASORI-KUN!"

Sasori and Kisame began running from the rabid fangirls.

"WHY ARE YOU DATING SOMEONE ELSE?"

"I THOUGHT WE HAD SOMETHING SPECIAL!"

The popular red head glowered at Kisame, and uttered. "This is why I won't forgive you Kisame."

And for once, Kisame understood.

Fangirl chasings?

Check.

* * *

><p>"Konan! No more than two open buttons on your shirt!"<p>

Third button.

Open.

"Holy shit—"

Something leaked from Pain's nose.

Nosebleeds?

Check.

Good day?

Maybe.

I dunno.

* * *

><p>(1) Yep. That shit's sold in Japan as well. Well, I haven't tried it, but I don't think it's actually crap. It's pretty good from what I've heard.<p> 


	26. Chapter 26: The Truth behind Takeichi

**A/N: **I'm tiiiiiiiirrrrrrrrrrrreeeeed.

This would've been posted about two hours ago, but I spent an hour helping my mom do stuff in hundred degree weather, so now I'm sleepy, and my butt hurts. And I still have to go cheer today. Yay. Did I mention that my butt hurts everytime I move? DX

Well, so I don't sound like a whiny brat (XD), I'm going on to happier news. My mom is making me an Akatsuki cloak! Yay! :D And don't worry, she's an amazing seamstress, so it won't come out like crap. X) The reason that she's making it for me is that because I will be going to AnimeFest 2011 in Texas. Link: /2461

I do live in the state of Texas of the USA, but I'm not going to tell you the city, but it is close to Dallas. But I don't live in Dallas. I'm going with my friend, my "wife" (my friend's sister), one of my asian dude friends, and maybe this other dude who's barely taller than me. He's a year younger, but he's in the same grade as us. As it comes closer, I will be giving out more information and stuff, that is, if you care. XD

I'll be posting cosplay stuff on youtube after my cloak is made, and especially after my birthday in October when I tell my friend to get me a Deidara wig. Unfortunately, I have no Sasori to hug... D:

Lol, haha, moving on.

**Kuroui: **Oh why, yes he is. :D

**SasoxDei: **Sasodei forever~

**Sasunarufan101**: ****I know! It has an X, why not a check? :/ 3:51 am? Wow, the time isn't that different from when I got the e-mail for the review. It was just about an hour difference. But yep, we get high at that time...

If anyone wants to see two women get married the _otaku_ way, watch this video on youtube. She's a really awesome cosplayer with Deidara, and she gets married to her Itachi. .com/watch?v=Z_zh8na85Xw&list=FLOHTfTz_B7_8&index=1

Quote of the Day:

"If it doesn't work the first time, try again. If it doesn't work again, then you can give up."

* * *

><p>Chapter 22: The Truth behind Takeichi<p>

"_Are you kidding me?"_

_The girl was laughing. She was laughing hard. It was almost a cackle._

"_But...why?" the boy asked, his black hair extremely messy. He was on the ground, his hands grabbing at the ground._

"_Because. It's fun to mess with your type. A girl comes along, you fall in love. And then we can dump you. Isn't it the best?" The girl laughed again, and her eyes narrowed. _

_She looked...insane._

_The boy shook his head no, and his eyes filled to the brim with tears. They refused to travel down his face. His eyes were filled with agony as the girl disappeared, and everything became quiet._

Kakuzu woke up, cursing. He held his head a moment, and sighed.

What kind of dream was that? Seriously. But he could have sworn he had seen the black haired boy before. Those dark brown piercing eyes...why was it all so familiar? Something resembled the figure almost perfectly. It was on the end of his tongue, but he couldn't place who it was exactly.

Shaking that thought out of his mind, the stitched third-year got up out of his green bed, and began his preparations for school. He had never needed an alarm clock to wake up on time.

* * *

><p>"Deidara! Sasori! Quit acting so out of character from the manga and anime!" Konan yelled, pulling the duo away from behind the cherry blossom tree where they were being...well...romantic.<p>

After a week from asking out Deidara, the two artists had been flirting and...other stuff constantly. Sure, it was hilariously fun to tease them, but it also raised the awkward tension level higher in the Akatsuki. Even for the two other couples, but mostly for Kakuzu and Hidan.

Deidara came out blushing, and Sasori smirking.

"You're not even dating," Kakuzu complained. "You're both insane."

"Oh shut up," Sasori shot back. "You're just jealous because you're not even close to getting a girlfriend. Or boyfriend for whichever."

"That's-!" Kakuzu would have put a smart remark out, but his red head friend was right. "Very true..." Well, not that he really wanted to find love yet.

Sasori nodded his head in triumph.

* * *

><p>"So, you two are getting along pretty well?" Kisame teased.<p>

Sasori rolled his eyes and sighed. "Well, you did see this morning," he pointed out, raising his head up from his book.

"Psh. Well, you're both going to have problems you know, since you and Deidara are pretty popular with the opposite gender."

"I know, I know. That's just shit though."

The teacher interrupted their conversation (as well as the others') and began to speak as she clapped her hands to catch their attention.

"Okay, students. It's the beginning of November, and do you know what that means?" she asked with false enthusiasm.

A boy raised his hand and asked, "We get condoms?"

Half the class started laughing, but the teacher didn't find it funny. "No, Kue-kun. And please sit down. It means this."

The woman lifted up a stack of paper with a bunch of blank spaces.

"What are those?" one student asked.

"Your future course forms," she answered, passing out a couple. "You need to fill these out seriously, because this will affect your future. Pass them to the person behind you."

Kisame threw his arm over his shoulder and passed the stack behind him to Sasori. "Here."

"Thanks."

Sasori passed his behind, and grabbed a pencil. _Name, age, birthdate, all of this is just all the same..._

He sighed as he wrote down his answer to each box. In the "Future Schooling" section, he had to turn to Kisame, however.

"Kisame...speaking of which, what are you going to do after you get out of high school?" the red head asked, tapping Kisame on the shoulder with his pencil.

Kisame turned around and shrugged. "I'll probably just go to vocational school," he replied. "I guess I'll do something with cooking since I'm pretty good at it. Mine as well study nutrition or something like that. My guess is that you're going to an art college?"

Sasori nodded in return. "Hey, why don't you ask Itachi about the whole nutrition thing after school? She'll probably have something."

The blue-skinned man nodded. "I guess. I'll ask her what she's going to do too."

~*~*~After School~*~*~

"Okay, do you want to come, Sasori?" Kisame asked, grabbing his bag.

"For what?" he responded blankly.

Kisame looked exasperated. "Really, Sasori? To go see Itachi! Remember, you were the one who suggested it!"

"Oh, yeah. No, I'm fine."

"Deidara's in her class..." he whispered.

Sasori flinched.

"Give me fifteen seconds to pack up."

* * *

><p>"Aw, sweetie, come to the mall with me this weekend?"<p>

Takeichi stood tall, his shoulders back in confidence. He had asked out at least ten girls every week or at least to hang with him. He flattered them by calling them beautiful, gorgeous, and so on.

"R-Really?" The pale, dark brown haired girl look very happy. "That's so amazing, because when I first saw you, I thought you were really kind, and just a gentleman. I guess I'm really right."

She hugged Takeichi who pretended to like it. But when he hugged back, it was obvious that he rolled his eyes, signaling that he didn't care at all. Player.

On the other side of the hallway, Hidan snorted.

The three first-years stood, all observing their good "friend", Kizu Takeichi.

"What's wrong with him, seriously, yeah?" Deidara muttered, frowning. "How can he think he'll actually find someone he really does like if he's just doing that?"

"He's a fucktard," Hidan answered. "Plain and fucking simple."

She rolled her eyes. "Obviously, un."

"_You_ two wouldn't know," Itachi complained. "He's the one who's always getting up on _me_. I've told him I have a boyfriend, but he keeps trying to "catch my heart". I swear, the only thing that's up in that head is rocks and weeds."

Itachi folded her arms and frowned, glaring at

As if on cue, Takeichi walked up toward them, cooing the smaller raven head. "Itachi~"

"Get the hell away before I rip off your dick," she warned.

"Oh...c'mon, I just wanted to know what you and I can do this weekend."

"I thought you were taking that girl to the mall," the girl replied. "And I want to know what's between your ears, because it definitely isn't brain."

Itachi expected Takeichi to get in the least a little pissed off. However, what the girl was not expecting was for Takeichi to slam his lips against hers.

Itachi's eyes widened and she immediately stumbled back. Takeichi smirked, and cocked his head toward the right.

"We have a guest," he said.

Her gaze followed, and froze.

"Kisame! Wait! Please!" Frantic, the raven-head started chasing after her boyfriend who had ran.

Kisame had been there. Just at the worst time.

"Heh, you better ru—"

SLAP

Takeichi fell to the floor with a red mark against his cheek. Deidara's hand crossed over her chest, and her eyes held abomination and hatred.

"What the hell is _wrong_ with you, yeah!" she screamed.

The blonde slammed her foot against his stomach, which made him curl up and hack. But then the smirk came back to his face.

"You girls are all the same," Takeichi simply stated. He slowly stood up, and folded his arms. "Life doesn't work the way you want it to. You girls talk about finding true love like one of those Disney Princesses. And yet, you never take what you can get."

"What are you trying to say, yeah?" Deidara glowered.

"You _stupid _girls take everything for granted."

Hidan could practically here something snap inside of Deidara.

"You have _no_ idea, un!" she screamed. "We think that way because we want to find who we truly love! Sure, some girls are like that, but there are those people who really try, yeah! You have no right to wreck Itachi and Kisame's relationship like that!"

Hidan backed up slightly. He knew what would happen when Deidara was more than furious.

Takeichi glared at Deidara, but the piercing stare only lasted a moment before he began laughing. He laughed for about twenty seconds before it died off. The first-year began walking, and he passed Deidara and Hidan, a smile on his face.

"You wouldn't know how much I've been hurt," he whispered inaudibly as he patted down the hall quietly.

Deidara and Hidan stared at him, until they noticed something.

_His eyes...they..._


	27. Chapter 27: Shit Happens

**A/N: **Rawr. Rawr. Rawr. Hi.

It's 8:37 in the morning, I need to go to volunteering, I can't remember any shit that I want to write in this area.

Oh, well, if anyone really cares, I will actually be going to animefest in Dallas, Texas on September 4th and 5th since they are no longer selling one day admissions. Dammit. Now I have to pay forty bucks instead of thirty-five. (Suck it up, Akiho.)

Thank you for reviewing, and I apologize for now updating yesterday! Also, this story only has ten more chapters until it's done! Holy shit.

**Glitterthorn: **Ahaha, same with me, I posted this and then it was like Bing! *hugs back*

**SasoxDei: **:O

**Kuroui: **I seriously got scared by your review. Like, seriously. X) I was all like, *hides in corner* "Holy shit, she's scary..."

**Akatsuki Stitches: **Lol, that's funny since I have you bookmarked. You read a lot of really good stories...AH! Ya, I read your profile and saw that, and I was like, *squuuueeeeeeeee!* Oh, and by the way, with that Japanese quote you have...that's extremely screwed up, and not right. X) I hate google translate...would you like me to better translate that, since I'm actually Japanese?

**Lizard Lover: **Rawr, thank you. :)

Read on for...shit.

* * *

><p>Chapter 27: Shit Happens<p>

No one dare spoke to Itachi or Kisame the following day, not even Takeichi. Rumors had spread that they had broken up, but the Akatsuki had no clue if that was true or not.

Even when Konan, the "mother", tried to approach Itachi, she had received one of the darkest, most terrifying glares from the Uchiha she had ever seen in her life.

Deidara and Hidan glanced worriedly at their friend during their lunch break. Itachi sat alone in a corner, a dangerous, dark aura illuminating off of her.

"What are we going to do, un?" the blonde asked her best friend, taking a bite out of her sandwich.

Tomoya sighed. "This is Takeichi's fault, right?"

The two nodded in response, and Deidara clenched a fist. "That's right, un!" she yelled purposely. She wanted that bastard to hear her. "If it wasn't for that messy haired raven head, everything would have been fine!"

Takeichi looked up slightly, rolling his eyes. Deidara glared at him, both eyes twitching uncontrollably.

"Dammit, dammit..." Hidan chanted, slapping his chopsticks down.

* * *

><p>Deidara stayed a little after school that day, plotting an idea with Pain and Konan. She had actually only told those two, and not another single soul in the Akatsuki—not even Hidan or Sasori, and especially not Kisame or Itachi.<p>

She peered a bit from the corner she was, expression unreadable. It was about two minutes before she spotted her target, which was non other than Kizu Takeichi. She smirked. "I gotcha, yeah."

Not even bothering to hide anymore, she immediately and swiftly approached the classmate. With every step, her heart beat faster and her heart clenched. She felt a disgusting knot in her stomach, but she didn't know why.

"Kizu!" Deidara yelled, hopeful to at least temporarily stop the boy in his tracks.

It worked, and Takeichi turned around slowly to meet the shorter one's eyes. "What?"

His voice wasn't normal, and it surprised the blonde. Even after the gigantic mess he caused, Deidara thought he would remain unaffected.

"Why did you do that, un?" she got straight to the point, not able to control herself anymore. She struggled to keep her voice straight. "Why would you want to mess up someone's relationship, yeah?"

Takeichi smirked and stuck his hands in the pockets of his pants. "Deidara..." The way he said her name was almost scary. "When I focus on one thing, that's all I see. My focus this time was to tear theirs apart. I already knew they were dating—that just made everything easier."

"That doesn't explain _anything_! You're a cold hearted, _bastard_, un!" Deidara cried.

"I _told_ you, their relationship's just like any other."

"What are you implying, hmmm?"

Takeichi tilted his head back a bit, and grinned maniacally. "Every couple ends eventually. It's just a matter of time. That was the best for them."

Deidara was infuriated by this point. "That doesn't make sense at all, yeah!"

"Fine. I'll tell you."

She was taken aback by his response. Tell her what? "Tell me what, un?" she asked, suspicion rising.

"I'll tell you why I do this. But it's not like you could understand."

"Then what's the point of telling me, yeah?"

"You wanted to know, right?"

There was no argument there.

"Her name was Tahara Nika. The moment we met last year, we clicked, just like that." He snapped his fingers for emphasis. "I liked her, I liked her a whole bunch. But when I told her that I was moving here and I still wanted to keep being with her, she dumped me."

"Because it would be a long distance relationship, un?"

Takeichi smirked and shook his head no. "Because it was all a game. All those words that she spoke, she told me it was a lie. _Any girl would do it out of pity_ she said. It pissed me off worse than hell, but worst of all, it made my heart break. I'm not the best person in the world, but I'm sure I wasn't terrible."

He frowned. "You're right though. Why am I telling you this? Afterall, you wouldn't even understa—"

"I do, un."

Her voice was just barely above a whisper, strong and shaky at the same time. Deidara lifted her head, looking back into Takeichi's eyes again. "I do, yeah! Don't think you're so special like that—that's not even close to having a reason to mess around with girls' hearts or relationships! If you know how it feels, why would you do it? I know _exactly_ how you feel, yeah! Having your trust go right down the drain! It hurts, but you have to stand up again, un! Not every girl is like that!"

Takeichi stared at the ground. He couldn't possibly find an argument to that. "Then...where...where do you expect me to start?" he yelled. He was angry, but he couldn't figure anything out. He was going crazy.

"Start here."

Deidara gently smiled up at him.

"I'm taken already, but...you should at least try make people you can relate to, un. Instead of closing yourself off, maybe keep going with a brighter light. _Think before you act next time, idiot_."

The last part was quiet, but harsh.

With that, Deidara walked away from Takeichi.

It was cruel, but there was no need to relate to that man. That was just for extra measures. She pulled out the voice recorder from her bag, and clicked stop on it. She had the information she needed, and all she needed to do now was to give it to Pain and Konan to get Kisame and Itachi back together.

Unfortunately, that run in with Takeichi had brought back more memories than needed.

Halfway out the school, Deidara began running. She didn't know why; it wouldn't lessen the pain in anyway.

BAM

"Ah, sorry, un!" the blonde quickly apologized, quickly getting up.

"Brat?"

Oh shit.

"D-Danna?"

"I was waiting for you, brat," Sasori muttered.

Deidara knew how much Sasori hated waiting. And yet...

She frowned, and tried to hide her eyes behind her side fringe.

"Hey, Deida—"

A tear fell off her cheek, and splattered onto the ground.

Dammit.

"Hey, hey, brat? Why are you crying?"

Deidara shook her head, sobbing. Mine as well tell him the truth. "I-I was talking to Kizu, un—"

Sasori grabbed Deidara by the shoulders. "What the hell did he do?"

"No, no, un. It was me. H-he said that he had purposely played girls to give them a taste of what happened to him, because he was dumped by a girl who was just u-using him, yeah. Bu-but it made me think of..."

_Damn that bastard. Well, bastards._

Sasori grabbed Deidara's left hand gently since the girl was still using her right hand to unsuccessfully wipe the tears away from her face.

"Hey...c'mon. Let's go over to Konan and Pain's. They'll help."

Deidara nodded and let Sasori pull her to start walking.

* * *

><p>"So you got it?"<p>

"And why are you crying?"

Deidara nodded, passing the voice recorder toward the two. "Yeah, un. And I'm crying because I can."

Sasori wrapped an arm around Deidara's small shoulders lightly, trying to ease the girl.

"What is this?" he asked. He had not been informed of whatever plan they had.

Konan looked at him. "In order to get Kisame and Itachi back together, we needed proof that it wasn't Itachi's fault. Deidara came up with this idea, and she took the liberty to approach Kizu herself. Isn't that right, Deidara?"

"Y-yeah."

Konan inwardly shook her head. It probably wasn't the best idea to send Deidara if she was crying right now. She had to listen to this recording though, no matter what.

If there was anything that had to be done at the moment, it was to put Kizu in his place and put Kisame and Itachi back together.

* * *

><p>"<strong>What the hell is shehe doing here**?"

Kisame and Itachi's voices both asked the same question at the same time. They glared into each other's eyes, but for different reasons.

Itachi was asked to come here by Konan, and Kisame by Pain, and they should've suspected such to happen. Gah.

"We're not letting you guys leave until you make up," Pain stated.

"I told you," Kisame hissed. "I'm not listening to some fucked up story of how this wasn't Itachi's fault."

Konan pulled the voice recorder out of her bag. "Fine then. But listen to this. At least. It'll change your mind."

She pressed play, and it started.

"_Kizu!"_

"_What?"_

Kisame and Itachi's eyes both widened. Was that Deidara's voice?

"_Why did you do that, un?"_

"_Deidara..." _

There was a pause.

"_When I focus on one thing, that's all I see. My focus this time was to tear theirs apart. I already knew they were dating—that just made everything easier."_

"_That doesn't explain anything! You're a cold hearted, bastard, un!"_

"_I told you, their relationship's just like any other."_

"_What are you implying, hmmm?"_

"_Every couple ends eventually. It's just a matter of time. That was the best for them."_

"_That doesn't make sense at all, yeah!"_

"_Fine. I'll tell you."_

"_Tell me what, un?"_

"_I'll tell you why I do this. But it's not like you could understand."_

"_Then what's the point of telling me, yeah?"_

"_You wanted to know, right?"_

Another pause.

"_Her name was Tahara Nika. The moment we met last year, we clicked, just like that."_

A snap of fingers was heard.

"_I liked her, I liked her a whole bunch. But when I told her that I was moving here and I still wanted to keep being with her, she dumped me."_

"_Because it would be a long distance relationship, un?"_

"_Because it was all a game. All those words that she spoke, she told me it was a lie. Any girl would do it out of pity she said. It pissed me off worse than hell, but worst of all, it made my heart break. I'm not the best person in the world, but I'm sure I wasn't terrible. You're right though. Why am I telling you this? Afterall, you wouldn't even understa—"_

"_I do, un."_

"_I do, yeah! Don't think you're so special like that—that's not even close to having a reason to mess around with girls' hearts or relationships! If you know how it feels, why would you do it? I know exactly__how you feel, yeah! Having your trust go right down the drain! It hurts, but you have to stand up again, un! Not every girl is like that!"_

A long pause followed.

"_Then...where...where do you expect me to start?"_

"_Start here."_

"_I'm taken already, but...you should at least try make people you can relate to, un. Instead of closing yourself off, maybe keep going with a brighter light. Think before you act next time, idiot."_

There was the sound of shoes clattering on the floor, and then a sob. Everything cut off then.

Itachi and Kisame stood still.

"I told you it wasn't my fault," the raven head suddenly commented angrily.

Konan and Pain smirked in triumph. "So we're all good?"

"Not yet." Itachi shook her head, and ordered, "Apologize. _Now_."

With that voice, she really wasn't fucking around.

"I'm...really...sorry..." Kisame apologized. "I'm sorry for doubting you, I'm sorry for not believing you, and I'm sorry for breaking up with you!"

Itachi smiled and nodded. "_Now_ we're good." She hooked her arm around Kisame's. "And we're together again."

"That's awesome. Now, I guess we could go kill Kizu, and you two better thank Deidara," Pain said.

"How did she get the recording?" Kisame asked.

"She came up with a plan to get you guys back together, then went to go talk to Kizu," Konan explained.

"It worked that easily?"

"Apparently he really wasn't that much of a big deal."

* * *

><p>"So it was solved just like that?" Kakuzu questioned.<p>

Konan and Pain nodded. "Yup. It was actually kind of weird how fast we did that, but I'm not saying I'm not happy for them..."

"We must have one hell of a lazy bitch for an author."

"Agreed."


	28. Chapter 28: An Opened Reality

**A/N: **I hope this chapter doesn't sound...well, weird. Because it was kind of strange to me. I dunno why...it just was.

I wrote this in about an hour, but I proofread it and doubled it in length. (Yay!)

This is my second chapter today, and it's night, and I'm going to sleep soon, so there will be no uploaded chapter tomorrow. I'm working on a seven thousand word one shot, and also working on a long chapter for next time. You might understand why at the end of this chapter. But the main reason that there's two chapters today, is because I am going to Japanese school tomorrow, and I have to wake up at 6 freaking 30 in the morning, and I really don't want to turn on my computer and start updating. BLAH.

Oh, and I also remembered something I wanted to say. I was thinking this story was centered slightly more around Deidara then anyone else. So...uh...I dunno.

Well, on another slice of my pie (life) I have found "leg warmers" for my cosplay for Deidara when I go to Anime Fest. Yay. Now I just have to cut and stitch it so that it will fit around the shoes. The shoes aren't the best, but I cannot find anything else currently. And since I have black hair, I'm going to be wearing a wig. Better go order that thing...

I'll be taking a shitload of pictures there, so you'll see a slideshow of it up on my youtube channel after September 5 sometime. It might take a little bit, but it'll be pretty simple. But only thing is, I might have to use my dad's old camera, since my mom won't probably let me use hers, my sister _lost_ hers, and mine broke...and when I was taking a photojournalism class too. And since his camera is actually pretty good, I probably will be using it. :D

Thank you for the reviews! 3

**NinjaPrincessHaruka: **Oh, you live near Houston? That's cool. ^^ I have to wait about a month, but then I get to go physco freak. :D It makes me feel better to know I'm not a lazy author...although I am. XD Epic rant there...

**SasoxDei: **Well, they do have one. :D And that sucks... :( I saw one author back in February who was like, "Anime Con in Kuwait? Holy shit..." but I'm not sure if that was real... :/ But yeah, back in Asia, they really only do it in the "Big Countries" like Japan (obviously), China, South Korea and Singapore.

**Kuroui**: ****It's okayz. X) Yeah, I don't like that Kizu guy either...

**Random Quote of the Day that I forgot Last Time!:**

Everyone has that friend who gets all the boys,

Everyone has that friend who has the coolest clothes,

Everyone has that friend who is too funny,

Everyone has that friend who is so smart.

And then me..

But yeah, I'm just a girl, trying to find a place in this world 3

~mirteeniris from Youtube

* * *

><p>Chapter 28: An Opened Reality<p>

Days passed after Kisame and Itachi's makeup, but they never were able to thank the one who did it for them, Deidara.

Why?

Well, you probably know the answer, but for just extra effect, I'm going to tell you in the fucking story anyway.

The first-year female hadn't come to school in three days.

Three whole days.

Konan had called her every morning twice, every afternoon three times, and every night three times, but not a single time was there someone who picked up.

* * *

><p>"Nothing?" Pain asked.<p>

Konan hissed at him. "_What do you think_?" she shot, angrily slamming her phone closed and shoving it into her bag with unneeded forced.

"Fucking bastard..." Hidan muttered.

Itachi stepped forward. "We have to go to her house today. After school."

Kisame raised an eyebrow. "What's with the sudden plan?"

The raven head looked at her boyfriend a moment, but then turned back to the group. "She helped us get back together, and if it wasn't for her, we'd still be in the same position we were four days ago."

"She doesn't deserve this," Kakuzu said.

"No one fucking does," Hidan replied.

"That's why we have to see the man that's the cause of all of this," Itachi explained. "Even if it's going to cost a whole lot, there's no reason we shouldn't do this now."

They agreed, but solemnly.

* * *

><p>Everyone took a gulp and a breath.<p>

The house in front of them wasn't very big, but intimidating enough for them to hesitate to knock. But they needed, they had to do this for Deidara.

"Okay..." Konan breathed out. "Are we ready?"

Her hand was on the door curled into a loose fist, shaking tremendously.

They all nodded vigorously, but the excessive head nods cold have been from the unstoppable shaking of their bodies.

"Alright...here goes..."

Konan bit her lip and lifted her fist, and tapped on the door twice loudly.

KNOCK KNOCK

Everyone tensed up after the knocks, waiting for what would happen. Thirty seconds passed, and finally, the door opened very slowly. Their breaths hitched.

The opened door revealed a bearded man with a cigarette in his mouth. He had a large frown, and had a couple of scratches. His hair was dirty blonde and quite messy. He wore blue baggy jeans and a plain dirty white shirt.

"Huh? Who are you kids?" he inquired, his voice raspy and harsh.

Pain was first to speak. He stood up tall, almost leveling himself with the man. "My name's Pain, sir. We're Deidara's friends. She hasn't been to school for three days, and we were wondering if maybe if she was sick. We've been calling a few times, but nobody's been picking up."

The tall, muscular man cracked his neck before he answered. "Well, she ain't here. Who knows where that scoundrel went? That girl's off and about twenty-four seven. Sorry, I don't know."

Pain smiled, thinking, _Liar. _"Oh, then, sorry to bother you sir, have a good day."

The man snarled and turned around, waving them off. "Yeah, later," he called casually, about to shut the door.

That moment, he noticed a familiar silver haired boy in the back. He whipped around, and his eyes and mouth shoved abomination and anger. "YOU!" he shouted, surprising everyone but the fellow Jashinist.

"Nice to see you again, Iwakatsu-san," Hidan greeted with false enthusiasm.

Deidara's dad had known about Hidan knowing what he was doing. _What if...? No, that's impossible. After all, that scum sack would know of what would happen if he spoke a word..._

"Hn. Keep to yourself, kid."

He turned around, this time, hopeful to get away from the suspicious high schoolers.

However, again, something caught an eye. But this time, it was Sasori's.

"Hold it!" the red head yelled with a little too much accusation. He raised his hands, fingers spread out widely.

The man turned around again, hissing out, "_What now_?" He was clearly aggravated.

Sasori pointed toward the man's right butt pocket. "Why do you have Deidara's phone?" he asked, eyes showing resentment.

It had definitely been the blonde's phone. The black casing on the flip phone, that was the same thing he had seen when Deidara had come to his house.

The dirty blonde-haired man stared into Sasori's eyes. _Who's this kid?_

"She left it," he lied. "And I had prefer not to pick up calls I don't know who they are from. Those must've been you."

"We're in her contacts," Sasori attacked. "You could've picked up—we were people _she_ knew."

Konan and Pain gave him a do-not-fuck-with-this-man-Sasori-you-will-get-killed-look, but Sasori immediately ignored it.

"And on top of that, when Pain told you that she didn't pick up, you didn't tell us this."

The man's nostrils flared. Hidan almost laughed, but he held it for obvious reasons. "What the hell are you trying to say, kid?" he questioned in a warning voice.

"Are you telling the truth to us?"

"Why wouldn't I? She's my own daughter!"

Then, Sasori did one of the last things that he thought he would do here.

"DEIDARA! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?"

"Kid, cut that the fuck out!"

"**Sasori**!"

And then, small footsteps were heard. Slow, small footsteps.

"Y-yes, father, un?"

"Deidara!" Sasori yelled.

Everyone's eyes widened at the sight of the blonde.

Her face was paled, her arms and legs were covered in uncountable number of cuts and bruises, and her usual petite figure had thinned out even more than usual. Blood was dripping on her right cheek from a long gash.

"Deidara, get the hell back up!" Deidara's father warned her. However, Deidara ignored the man, and instead focused on the real person who had called out for her.

"Danna...!"

Deidara began walking toward the front door, but she collapsed, falling onto her knees and crying out in pain.

Everyone's eyes went straight to her dad.

"You son of a bitch..." Sasori muttered. "What the hell did you do?"

"Sorry, Shirudo," Hidan apologized sarcastically. "But there's no way in hell any of us are going to forgive you."

The man supposedly known as Shirudo growled at the zealot. "You _did_ say!" he accused, pointing his finger at the Jashinist.

"N-No, I did, un..."

Deidara slowly got up the floor, despite how agonizing it looked and probably felt.

And in an instant, she was slammed to the floor again by a fist from Shirudo.

"You piece of-!"

Kakuzu jumped and fisted Shirudo's right wrist in a crushing grip. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, _Shirudo_," he admonished. "You dare put a finger on Deidara while we're here, and we won't hesitate to hurt you."

Shirudo struggled to pull free from Kakuzu, and meanwhile, Konan and Sasori rushed in to grab Deidara while the attacker was occupied.

Sasori scooped up the blonde's back and knees, and Konan grabbed both of her hands to round around the red head's neck.

"Aah!" Deidara cried out in pain as her legs were lifted up.

"Sorry," he immediately apologized.

As soon as Deidara was in a stable position to be carried by Sasori, they rushed out, and Kakuzu pulled back quickly from the angered man.

And instead of running and starting to chase them, Deidara's father began to laugh. He laughed aloud, hard, and cruelly. They all froze at his reaction.

"You kids _are_ right! I don't give a shit about that bitch! If it wasn't for her, Kumiko wouldn't be dead right now! She'd be alive, and we would still be a family! That thing that supposedly be my daughter doesn't matter a shit to me! She's brought this onto herself; she _deserves_ this!"

"You're _wrong_!" Itachi barked. "If that's what you think of your daughter, you don't know her _at all_!"

"What, that thing that's supposed to be my daughter has actually done _something_? Give me a break. She doesn't even deserve to have friends! She's a freak."

"She's helped us more times than we can count," Itachi claimed. "You might not know, because you don't care, but if it wasn't for her, then we'd be in a whole more bunch of shit."

Shirudo shook his head and let out a loud, cruel chuckle. "Hah! Even if that happened to be true in the _tiniest_ bit, it still wouldn't change anything! You kids can't do anything about this, because I'm her parent! I'm the ruler here, in this house."

Pain and Konan shot hit a look.

"Then..." Konan muttered.

She glared at the man, but then smirked.

"If we can't out rule you in this house, then, w_e'll out rule you in court_."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **I've forgotten to say this at any point in the story so far (or more like have waited), but Deidara is based on one of my friends who had to go through the same thing. Unfortunately, she was sworn to not tell, and it wasn't until May when she was going to start living with her grandparents when she told me, so I wasn't able to do anything.

This person also isn't her actual father, but she believes that her real father was probably even worse. They had bribed her into not telling anyone by making her look like she was truly loved when she wasn't. On top of that, she never had any marks, scars, or bruises, so I never got suspicious, even when she mysteriously "moved" a couple years before and came back. It's really sad honestly, and hard to believe, but she was one of my best friends.

Thus, I dedicate this entire story to her.

I love you girl. May you forever find peace and happiness and your "father" die a bloody, horrible death.


	29. Chapter 29: Order in the Court

**A/N: **This is going to be one of those chapters I'm never ever going to read over. I didn't have a shitting clue how court works (I had to ask my dad, since he did jury duty for child abuse last month, and my mom's going next week), so it might be...well, weird?

Well, so you will read it, I will tell you, that...

That...

...

I really don't have anything.

This chapter's a lot shorter than I wanted it, only about 1500 words. *sighs* But I promise, the other chapters will be fucking amazing. I think.

**Glitterthorn: **That's almost how I reacted. :( I told her that if I could, I would've killed him. Thank you for caring.

**Kuroui: **This one might make you say "Finally!" again. X) *gives you awkward look after next paragraph*

**SasoxDei: **I really didn't know about that a-con...I have honestly know idea...Thank you...*looks at last part then looks at the end of the chapter* Er...(Don't worry, it's not bad...)

Quote of the Day:

(This actually has a really big significance at the end)

_And that's why I smile_

_It's been a while_

_Since everything and anything has felt this right_

_~Avril Lavigne_ "Smile"

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><p>Chapter 29: Order in the Court<p>

Criminal Court, somewhere in Osaka, Japan

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury. This court is now in session. My name is Judge Hiramasa Yuuka. You are the jury, and the trial is set to begin. Both sides of the case will be presented to you. At anytime, anyone may be asked to leave the courtroom, and they will do so, unless directed otherwise afterwards."

The woman on the large desk/podium sat with a serious look on her face that could probably cut through anyone in one glare. Her eyes were a dark brown, and she was most likely around her late forties. Some white hair growing into her black. She began talking again.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury. Abusing a child _is_ a criminal offense, and is extremely punishable by law, to the point of first degree murder. We will be observing and discussing a case between a father and daughter today. Iwakatsu Deidara, the plaintiff, has accused her father, Iwakatsu Shirudo of child abuse and neglect. According to the plaintiff, she has been physically and verbally abused after her mother's death back in the end of January. The defense, on the other side, has said that he would never do such a thing to his daughter, and would not know even why his daughter would think of accusing him of such."

Sasori gave Deidara's hand a reassuring squeeze, and Deidara glanced at him, shaking and extremely nervous. Sasori sat up in front with Deidara, and the others sat directly behind them, in the "witness seats".

Pain had brought out his attorney for Deidara, and had told the three to do the case themselves, but he would help for witness acts. That was the best he could do.

Pain/Deidara's attorney called Shirudo to the stand.

After he was sworn, the questions began. "Can you explain all the bruises and cuts over your daughter's body?" he asked.

Both men looked serious, and extraordinarily scary.

"No, I cannot," Shirudo answered. "However, after she had left the house over two weeks ago, that's what she came back with."

"What do you mean by, "left the house"?"

"As simple as that. She fled, and she didn't come back for about two and a half days. I found her phone in her room, and took it."

"Why would you take her phone?"

"Because, I wanted to make sure to watch her messages."

"Why didn't you tell anyone about your daughter's disappearance?"

"Because this has happened multiple times. She's off and on about it, I even told her friends. She would come back eventually."

"And if she didn't?"

"I would notify the police."

"According to every witness, you were home at the time of the discovery. Here," the attorney pulled out a piece of paper. "It is written by every member of the witness party that you answered the door, and when one of them called your daughter's name, she came down, severely injured. Why weren't you taking her to the hospital?"

Deidara's dad looked back down at the attorney. "I was about to, but then that's when they knocked."

The two were sent back, and this time, Deidara was called by Shirudo's attorney.

"You're father can't, so is it possible that _you_ can explain the multiple bruises on your body?"

"It was the same day that I hadn't gone to school, y-yeah. He had used a knife to slash cuts into my arm and legs. He hit me multiple times with one of his belts, and p-put a match to my right shoulder, yeah."

Deidara was on the verge of tears. Jashin, she wasn't going to cry here—not in court.

"Is it true you ran away and left your phone?"

"I didn't. I couldn't go to school because it was almost impossible to move. And I didn't leave my phone—he took it away from me so I could have no contact. Two days after that, my friends came to my house."

Four long, stressful hours passed. People were called to the stands multiple times, and even Shirudo's neighbor, who supported the father.

Lastly, Konan was called.

"What happened when you reached the house?"

Konan smirked. "It took at least thirty seconds for him to open the door. Her father asked what we were doing there, and he told us she wasn't there. We were about to leave, but then her dad suddenly turned back around. He had apparently recognized Hidan. He told Hidan to keep to himself. We were about to leave again, but that's when Sasori noticed Deidara's phone in her father's right butt pocket. He asked why it was there, and then called her name. She came down the stairs, and she looked terrible from all the cuts and bruises. He didn't say anything about her there. And he was lying right there."

"The witnesses haven't stated that yet. Are you sure you're telling the truth?"

The blue-haired woman tested her limits a bit. "Well, I can tell you what he said."

And slowly, she pulled something out of her pocket. It was long, and there were three switches on it. Record, play, and delete. It had a small screen with a pad.

She pressed play.

"_You kids are right! I don't give a shit about that bitch! If it wasn't for her, Kumiko wouldn't be dead right now! She'd be alive, and we would still be a family! That thing that supposedly be my daughter doesn't matter a shit to me! She's brought this onto herself; she deserves this_!"

The attorney was taken aback, and so was everyone else. How she had managed to snuck such a thing in was a surprise.

Everyone was quiet.

Finally, the judge spoke.

"...Ladies and gentlemen, this case will be wrapped up. We will be back in twenty minutes, and during that time, the jury will decide upon if the defendant is guilty or innocent. All rise."

Everyone stood up, and the judge let them go.

Deidara immediately ran over toward Konan, hugging her tightly.

"You...you actually still had that, un..."

Konan grinned. "Of course. You didn't think that I wouldn't use it at the most important time, right?"

Deidara smiled. "Thank you...so much."

"It's nothing. Now you better get ready, because the jury's about to send its verdict."

Pain put his hand on Konan's right shoulder. "I'm pretty sure we'll be alright, thanks to you, Konan."

"I agree. Thank you very much, Tenshi-san." Pain/Deidara's attorney quickly thanked her, and pulled himself away from the three to go through his briefcase.

"The jury has reached a verdict."

The statement made a larger impact than anyone suspected. Everyone who was in the courtroom had their hearts start speeding up to the point of exploding.

A young man in the jury stood up, holding a sheet of paper in his hands. He was no older than thirty, and he spoke in a clear, loud voice.

"The jury has come to the conclusion that the defendant is..."

What seemed like forever fell into place afterwards. Nobody moved, not a sound was made, and even the judge looked anxious.

"_Guilty_."

The words had a significance that Deidara could never remember again, except that one moment. That single word alone had brought out multiple emotions and feelings from the blonde haired girl.

Shirudo's eyes slowly widened.

He had lost.

Which meant...

Deidara was free.

_I'm...free...I'm...free...from all the pain, his abuse, everything..._

It still didn't sink in.

"_What?_" Shirudo's voice bellowed through the entire courtroom, echoing at least five times.

"The jury has reached the verdict that you are guilty," the judge restated. "How long is the penalty?"

"Sixteen years in jail, three years of parole, ma'am."

Deidara's father was furious. He had _lost_. "You can't do that! Are you kidding me? Hey! Let go of me! Get off of me! Don't you dar—"

His voice became just a memory as the officers in the courtroom dragged him out in handcuffs.

"Jury, you are dismissed," the judge announced. She pulled herself away from the gigantic desk/podium and walked over toward Deidara and her/Pain's attorney.

"Congratulations." Then she whispered something very quietly. "If I was part of the jury...I would've given the same verdict."

They all looked passed her as she exited the courtroom with a large slam of the double doors.

Eventually, Pain said goodbye and thank you to his attorney, and everyone was gone, besides the Akatsuki from the courtroom.

"Deidara...!"

"We did it!"

"You never have to go through this fucking thing anymore..."

And that's when it hit Deidara.

She wouldn't have to face anymore of this. The lashes on her body would heal, even if it was a little bit. She wouldn't have to lie to anyone about why she had a cut on her wrist. She wouldn't have to fake a smile to hide all the pain behind it.

Because...there was finally a reason to smile.

To finally be free.

And for the first time for almost a year, she truly smiled.


	30. Chapter 30: Merry Christmas?

**A/N: **So this baby was kind of late. I just wanted to finish it before I went to volunteering and stupid band practice. I _despise _band practice. It was hell last year.

So I've noticed that on fanfiction, that the moderators don't do a very good job of checking if the rules are broken or not. It's really stupid, since if you just click "M", then you get a whole bunch of smut, and if you type in "song fic" you get a bunch of song lyrics in the fanfiction. Lmao.

I dunno what to write, so I'm gonna go onto the replies now. Five reviews! Yay, Akiho is happy! :)

**Kuroui**: ****I know...I thought that too...but then I decided not to write a short chapter. X) *joins in on party*

**SasoxDei: **Well...not _quite_ alone. You'll see. ;)

**Glitterthorn: **X) Thank you, and it is upsetting that that couldn't really happen. :/

**SweetScarlett97: **Aw...thank you. *insert heart here* Woah, that's cool...

**demetia-notAhumanBeing: **I seriously just laughed when I saw that. X)

Uh...too lazy for quote of the day, so here's the story! Six more chapters to go! :)

* * *

><p>Chapter 30: Merry Christmas?<p>

December 24th, Christmas Eve

Two weeks had passed since Deidara's court trial, and (almost) everything had gotten better since then.

Rumors had passed in school, and everything was frenzy for about a week, but luckily, winter break rolled around, pulling everyone's attention toward the holidays.

Deidara lived alone now, and she adopted a dog to give her company. It was a Shiba Inu (Duh! Japan!) and she named her Tama. She had a nice habit of trying to dig in the carpet (but failing).

And now, we go to the house of a certain two third-years. You should know who they are.

The Christmas tree was decorated brightly and almost a hundred presents rested under it. Tobi and Zetsu were here as well.

Konan was in Pain's lap on the couch, Hidan was sprawled out on his stomach on the floor watching Kakuzu and Itachi play Dance Dance Revolution, Kisame was cheering for Itachi, Tobi was bugging Deidara, Sasori was about to kill Tobi, and Zetsu was trying to keep Sasori from killing Tobi.

"Dammit, let go of me Zetsu!" Sasori growled.

"Sempai~! But Tobi wants a kiss!"

"I'm not your sempai, un! And no!"

"?"

"NO!"

Sasori finally managed to get free from Zetsu's grip, and he legitimately jumped onto Tobi. (Man, OOC Sasori is interesting...)

"Fuck off, Tobi. Deidara is _mine_."

"Dude, you are fucking loved."

Deidara sweat dropped. "I'm not sure if that's exactly love or jealousy, yeah."

"Shut up, we're trying to concentrate," Kakuzu scolded.

"Whatever."

"Shut up Kakuzu."

"Fuck you."

"Fucking gladly."

Kakuzu would've face palmed.

Zetsu grabbed Tobi so the boy would be able to avoid death by Sasori. Deidara laughed and crawled over toward her eventually-to-be-boyfriend.

"So, are you two, like, going out?" the white side of Zetsu asked.

"**Are you stupid? Of course they are. Just look at them.**"

"Hey I was just asking—"

"**Well, you're questions are stupid.**"

Sasori spoke up. "No, we're not dating."

Tobi raised an eyebrow. "Then why is Sasori-san so protective of Deidara-sempai?"

"Because he asked her out," Konan replied simply.

"**And she rejected him?**"

"No she did not!" Sasori yelled defensively, blushing a little.

Kisame pointed it out. "Hey, he's blushing!"

"Shut your face Kisame."

"Aw...but Danna, you look so cute, yeah."

"Yeah, you shut up too, brat."

"So, what happened?" Zetsu asked, returning to the original subject.

Deidara answered this time. "Well, he asked me out, and I told him that I wanted to wait, since it was before the court thing, yeah," she replied truthfully.

"Wait, so you two _still_ aren't going out?" Itachi asked, missing a step on the screen. MISS!

"You aren't?" Konan yelled, exasperated. She would think that they would, since everything was settled...

Even Itachi's case was settled now. It was actually pretty simple. She packed her bags and moved in with Kisame.

Her father wasn't happy.

Obviously.

"No, un."

"Not yet."

"**Why the hell not?**"

Everyone asked the same question at the same time.

"We're not ready yet, yeah."

"That's a stupid reason," Kakuzu muttered.

"You're face is stupid, un."

"You're so fucking immature, Dei-chan."

"I don't need _you_ saying that, yeah."

"That is true," Pain pointed out.

"Shut it, Pain-in-the-ass."

Pain lifted Konan off of his lap and dragged himself to go weep in his emo corner.

"So..." Hidan started again. He grabbed his glass of orange juice and sipped from the purple bendy straw. The Jashinist messed with it a little. "What now?"

Kakuzu purposely stepped on him. "You need to shut up because I am currently losing."

"Serves you right, mother fucker."

Pain and Konan walked into the living room at 9 in the morning.

It was Christmas Day! Yay. And even if none of them were Christian, it was still fun to celebrate giving presents to their friends.

But first (or last, whichever), the mess across the living room might wanted to be cleaned up. Why?

Because there was stuff—anything and everything—everywhere. That's why.

Konan felt something on her foot, and she looked down. The item made her flinch and grimace, but she hastily picked it up to show it to her boyfriend.

"Nagato?"

"Yes—wait, is that-?"

The bluenette nodded. "I think it's Hidan's boxers. Please tell me he's not sleeping naked."

Pain quietly snuck up toward where Hidan was sleeping and snoring on the floor. His bottom half was covered with a blanket, his top half exposed to the chilly room. Goosebumps covered both of his arms.

The leader slowly lifted up the blanket, really not wanting to see if he _was_ actually naked. He hoped with anything he wasn't.

His wish was granted. Hidan had on purple boxers with green hearts. Barney, much?

"Nope, it's not," Pain answered to his girlfriend.

"I hope no one's naked here. I don't even want to know what happened after we went to bed."

Konan huffed and put her hands on her hips.

The room was covered in some stains, Itachi's foot was in Kakuzu's face, Kisame had his arms around Itachi's neck from behind, and his body wasn't even close to hers, and Hidan was at Kakuzu feet. The Jashinist looked pretty beat up from being kicked around by the stitched third-years feet. Zetsu was asleep by himself on a corner, and Tobi had fallen (been pushed) off of the couch. Sasori and Deidara slept on the couch comfortably, but with Sasori's foot on Tobi's stomach. Tobi had probably tried to sleep with Deidara.

Simply put it, Zetsu was really the only one who was sleeping normally in this room.

Konan took in a large breath of air into her lungs. Then, at the top of her lungs, she yelled,

"**GET UP YOU STUPID BITCHES! IT'S CHRISTMAS MORNING!**"

"Ugh...Konan, did you have to yell?" Kisame was the first to wake up. He scratched his eye and yawned. "Itachi...wake up."

Itachi suddenly flashed red at Kisame, glaring harshly at him. "DO. NOT. WAKE. ME. UP." After her warning she flopped back to sleep, of course by kicking Kakuzu's face. Which also made him wake up.

"Bitch!" Kakuzu yelled. He abruptly sat up, smacking Itachi's feet. She didn't even flinch.

In anger, he kicked Hidan, who immediately woke up as well. "Fuck you, you mother fucking bastard! Don't wake me up!"

"Poor you," Kakuzu mocked.

"Ugh. Fuck you."

Hidan stood up and rubbed his eyes. "Gah, wake up, you mother fuckers."

"**Shut up,**" black Zetsu warned. Well, he was awake at least.

"Mm...shut up, Hidan, yeah..."

"Go fuck yourself Hidan..."

"No, Hidan...Tobi doesn't want to get up."

Kisame pulled Tobi up until he was perfectly awake. So now, they had Itachi, Deidara, and Sasori to wake. Itachi was out for now, since if you woke her up, it wasn't the prettiest sight. Kisame had to see this almost daily.

Then, a light bulb triggered over Hidan's head. He gestured Kisame over, and whispered something into the blue-skinned man's ear. Said the Jashinist smirked and pushed Kisame toward the eventually-to-be-couple.

Kisame smirked and leaned down over Sasori's ear. As directed, he yelled, "DEIDARA! PUT YOUR CLOTHES BACK ON!"

Both Sasori and Deidara woke up at the same time, causing them to hit heads.

"Deidara, what the fuck?"

"Danna, I'm clothed, un!"

"**Kisame!**"

"Sorry, Hidan's idea."

"**Hidan!**"

"We gotta fucking wake you up sometime."

They both proceeded to tackle Hidan.

Kisame sighed, and turned toward Itachi. She was currently strangling Kakuzu with her feet, who was desperately finding air.

"Dammit, Dei! Get off me, jackass!"

"**You all are so stupid,**" black Zetsu commented.

"They're such morons," Konan added.

"But you know what sucks?" Pain asked.

Zetsu and Konan glanced at him. "What?"

"They're our morons."

"**True that.**"


	31. Chapter 31: Approaching Graduation

**A/N: **This chapter is over twelve hours late. And I'm really sorry. :/ I had animal science volunteering from early morning, and then I just got super distracted. I was writing this yesterday, but then my parents started complaining about how I'm always in my room. Well, it's not really my fault that the computer is in my room.

School's starting next Monday, and now I'm getting kind of...a weird feeling. I feel laid back and stuff, but then I get really crazed. *sighs* I'm frustrated to say the least...

But the good thing is that I've figured out what to wear. I have a black Naruto shirt that I got at a thrift store back in Austin (Texas) and some Cargo pants. And I have fat thighs (compared to the rest of my body), but the shirt is barely long enough to cover them. I'm actually not insecure of them anymore, but I am trying to trim some of that stupid fat off. (I swear, all my fat just goes down to my thighs. My waist is small...so then when I'm wearing jeans, the thighs are tight, but if I go a size up, there's this gigantic butt space. Dammit.)

I am currently writing a one shot, and haven't got a really good structure for it. But it's helping to listen to depressing songs. :D Because it's a kind of depressing one-shot. I can't say I enjoy it, but it makes me feel good inside when someone cries while reading my story. I've read countless stories where they make me cry, and I want to do the same. (Obviously with my OTP...Sasodei...)

Finally, thank you to all the reviewers for getting me to 100+ reviews on my first long story! This is the first time I've come so close to completing a long story, and after this chapter, there are five chapters left. I _will_ continue writing, I will not stop a story without warning. Actually, I really hope I won't stop a story ever...

I also have a serious question. (Well, coming from me, nothing's ever serious, but whatever.)

I _am_ actually planning to make a sequel for this, maybe even two, because there are important foreshadowing moments in this story. So do you think I actually should? There's another story I'm planning to do that follows along the line that the Akatsuki go to an arts school, like where they sing and act and stuff. Should I do that first, or write the sequel? Or do neither? I dunno! D:

**Kuroui: **Haha, thank you. ^^ And lmao to the last sentence. X)

**Glitterthorn: **Oh, but they're lovable morons. 100 reviews at you! Thank you and congrats! X)

**Sasoxdei: **Yeah, what's wrong with the author? XD And sorry, but you're the 101th reviewer. :/

**Kiba's Fangirl: **I learned it back, like, two years ago at my Grandma's house by my sister. It was also the first game my ex-crush and I played back a little more than a year ago.

**NinjaPrincessHaruka: **I need to have Christmas with my friends... :/ X)

**Lizard Lover: **Thanks~ *heart here*

Chapter 31, at your service.

* * *

><p>Chapter 31: Approaching Graduation<p>

A Month and a Little Bit Later

Hidan ripped his straw away from his lemonade glass. _Pink_ lemonade glass, actually.

Why are you making that face? A silver-haired, supposed immortal that sent another student to the hospital during his third year in middle school can't drink pink lemonade? Bullshit.

Hidan swung the purple straw around in his mouth and in the air until Kakuzu scolded him. The stitched third-year hit him on the head with his left elbow.

"Stop that. Moron."

"Ow! Hey, you're such a bastard, you know that?"

"Yes."

Sasori groaned. _Idiots_.

Instead of the usual Pain and Konan's house, they stayed at Deidara's, since the Akatsuki (excluding for Hidan) had never been over there, and Pain and Konan had to do shopping.

They weren't exactly convinced.

But anyway, back to Deidara's house.

Today was a bright day. Outside was still chilly, but the smallest of buds began to grow on the cherry blossom trees again. It was February 3rd, a Sunday, and graduation for the three third years were only a month and two weeks away. After that, Pain, Konan, and Kakuzu would be off to college.

Deidara had a much smaller house than Konan and Pain, but it was still comfortable. There was a small foyer, then you entered the living room straight forward. To the right of the living room was a kitchen and dining room. If you turned left from the kitchen and dining room, there were two bedrooms and one bathroom. And since Deidara was still sixteen, there was always child support to help for the house so she wouldn't die out on the streets.

Okay, so I guess that wasn't exactly funny.

American music blared in the background, and besides Deidara and Hidan (who were very fluent in English) everyone could pick up just some snippets of the words that they learned from English class in school. For story reasons, let's pretend right now that Smile by Avril Lavigne was playing.

Actually, the only people there were Kakuzu, Hidan, Sasori, and Deidara herself. Kisame was with Itachi at his house since he didn't want her to start PMSing in Deidara's house.

Now that you (I) think of it, Deidara's the only girl here.

...

RAPE!

...

Sorry.

Deidara came back from the kitchen, a black red-edged tray in her hands. She set it down in the middle of the circle and sat down between Hidan and Sasori. Tama patted after her owner, her tail wagging vigorously.

"Snacks, un," she stated simply.

Sitting down, Deidara petted her pet, and Tama, now content, lay down next to her owner.

A bag of Calbee chips, a bowl of Meiji strawberry Melty Kiss, and winter (flavored?) Pocky covered the small tray.

"Dude!" Hidan exclaimed. "How do you actually pay for this shit?"

The blonde smirked. "Well, we're just in a fanfiction, un. We're not even real."

Hidan shrugged. "Guess you're right. Damn, then I want it to snow now!"

The author did not let snow fall.

"Fuck you, you bitch of an author!"

"Hidan, language."

"Shut up, you son of a bitch."

According to Hidan, Kakuzu was "son of a bitch", Sasori was "jackass", and Deidara was either "Dei-chan" or just "bitch". He definitely had a creative way of naming his fellow friends.

As Hidan called Kakuzu the above, he reached over to open the Calbee chips. Interesting enough, he was quite a good fan of the fat pored chips. And so he reached in and grabbed one. But not after he did a quite a good damage to the bag. Sasori and Kakuzu rolled their eyes and reached for the pocky.

"Hey, Kakuzu, un. Where're you going to college, yeah?"

"I'm going to Taki University," he answered simply.

"Where the fuck's that?"

"Hiroshima. It's not too far," Sasori answered. "You're going to _that_ school? What in the blazes (1) are you studying?"

Kiri was a pretty good school, actually screw that, it was a _really_ good school. (It's not a real school, once again!) But then again, Kakuzu had gotten number one on the scores from the last semester in his grade. Unfortunately, that wasn't surprising.

"Accounting."

"**Well, that was obvious**."

Sasori, Deidara, and Hidan all looked at each other. That took skill (well, luck actually) for the three of them to say that at the exact same time.

"Thanks," Kakuzu sarcastically muttered, reaching for another stick of pocky.

Then, the Jashinist raised an eyebrow. "Hey, wasn't pocky day back in fucking November?" he asked, a chip half hanging out of his mouth.

Deidara looked at him. "Why does that concern you, yeah?" she asked, popping a chip into her mouth. "And it was in November. November 11th."

"He probably made a boyfriend," Kakuzu commented nonchalantly. But they could see him smirking, since his mask was off and on the floor.

Immediately, Hidan stood up, pointing at the miser accusingly. "I do fucking not have a boyfriend! How would I know _you_ weren't jealous then that I had a boyfriend? You're fucking bisexual! You confused son of a bitch!"

"Hidan, language," Kakuzu warned again. "And I wouldn't be jealous. I don't even know where you got that. I don't like anyone. Also, being bi does _not_ make me confused; that's a goddamn stereotype."

"Ha!" Hidan sat back down. "Denial at it's best!"

"So _you_ like Kakuzu, Hidan?" Sasori snickered.

"I wouldn't be very surprised, un."

"What? What the fuck are you two saying? You guys are insane! How could I like a fucking money-obsessed miser like him?"

"You could just have a crush on him and be in denial," the red head said flat-out. "You said _he_ was in denial, which means you want him to like you."

"Fuck you, jackass! Puppet fucker!" Hidan huffed and shoved another chip in his mouth, angrily "snacking" on it. Poor chip.

Sasori rolled his eyes and put his arm around Deidara's shoulders. She squeaked in surprise. "Well, while you and Mr. Stitch-sir are there being all stupid about some retarded shit, I'm going to be having fun with my princess."

Hidan folded his arms. "Someone's happy and quite out-of-fucking-character."

Deidara grabbed her laptop from the coffee table, Sasori's arm still draped over her shoulders. He had ignored Hidan's comment.

"And I'm not in denial, puppet."

He ignored Kakuzu as well.

"What are you doing, Dei?"

Deidara typed in a few more letters. "Looking something up, un."

They all decided to crowd around the laptop, watching Deidara go on to .

"Hey, what the fuck?"

"It's a story called Long Live, Akatsuki, un. It's really creepy, since all the chapters are exactly like our lives, yeah. But there's a problem. On the summary, it says Kakuhi, but none of that's been showing up, yeah."

"Well, then me and Kakuzu better be fucking happy! The author's OTP is you guys!" Hidan shouted.

Kakuzu raised an eyebrow. "Then why wouldn't she make you two go out, after Sasori confessed back in November? It's been four months."

"Cause she's a bitch, un. I _like_ Danna."

Sasori blushed a little.

"Hey! Puppet fucker's blushing!"

"He'll turn into 'Dei fucker' eventually."

"Shut the hell up," Sasori warned half-heartedly.

"It's okay Danna~" Deidara laughed/cooed.

"Shut up, brat."

* * *

><p>Pain and Konan walked down the cold roads, hand-in-hand. It wasn't the perfect day for a stroll down the park, but they had some things to talk about as much as they both wanted to go to Deidara's house.<p>

"We're graduating soon..." Konan whispered into the wind. It picked up the leaves, swirling them around until they were mini tornadoes on the ground and then let them free.

"It's in a month and a half."

"You know what's sad?"

"Hm?" Pain glanced at his girlfriend.

"We won't be able to come back." Konan looked to the ground, her eyes half-lidded.

"Of course we can. We can visit the school, as well as the rest of the Akatsuki—"

"No! That's not it," the blue haired woman obliged.

Pain grasped both of Konan's hands to keep her calm. As much as she was good with handling these things with others, he wasn't with her, and she wasn't with herself.

"What do you mean, then?"

"I mean...we won't be able to come back to any of these times. It...it won't be the same anymore. We grow up, and we won't be able to watch them act like idiots. We won't be able to do everything like we did, because we _have_ to grow up. And when we go to college, we won't be the 'big kids' anymore. I can't be there for the Akatsuki anymore. What am I going to do?"

Pain held both of the girl's hands tightly. "Konan. That's not...that's not something you need to worry about. You have to grow up, darling. They are more than capable of being able to help themselves. Kakuzu, you, and I might not be there, but the others still have each other."

"I know...but that's the hardest part...to leave them."

And Pain couldn't say anything to it, because it was true.

Then quietly, they left the park, the lonesome, shadows of their own figures following their footsteps.

* * *

><p>(1) "What in the blazes is he doing there?" That's a quote from Obi Won Kenobi in Star Wars. X)<p> 


	32. Chapter 32: The Class of ADD Children

**A/N: **Yay! Another extremely late chapter! *dodges potato* Hey, what happened to the tomato? *is hit by tomato* Damn, oh well, I'm in my pajamas. *goes to change and comes back*

Okay, so down to business or whatever. Oh, I went to a costume shop today to look for a Deidara wig, and it was really interesting, because the dude who was there (he had kind of wavy neck length hair and was the type of guy that my mom would never let me date) was like, "Oh, are you going to Anime Fest?" Apparently he's doing one of the stands. It was pretty awesome. X)

Awkwardly I'm listening to Katy Perry's Last Friday Night right now. Lol, Rebecca Black...

Five more days until school. Which means, four more chapters and this story is complete! But as Glitterthorn and I (and hopefully the rest of you XD) want, I will be making a sequel. I'll tell you at the last chapter more about it and when it will be out and shit, but for now, let's go to the replies~ *switches to Fuckin' Perfect by Pink*

**Glitterthorn: **That fourth wall was part of my plan... :D Haha, I'm a bad author. XD

Deidara: Yes you are, un!

Me: *is shot* *comes back to life*

**Kuroui: **...Lazy butt. ;) Chuckle? Lol, that word made _me_ chuckle. And I will keep up! :D

**SasoxDei: **XD Lmao

**Muzikal Soul: **Good way to cover up the real word. XD Are you a senior?

**Quote of the Day:**

"Just because you're not perfect to yourself doesn't mean you're not perfect to someone else."

~Me, inspired by P!nk "F**kin' Perfect"

* * *

><p>Chapter 31: The Class of ADD Children<p>

One week passes

One month and one week until Graduation

"Hey...guys...! C'mon...please? Listen to me...?" Tomoya was struggling to get the bored class that was currently doing whatever the hell they wanted under control. People were standing on chairs, sitting on desks, running between desks, hanging off of desks, and just talking. Tomoya turned to the Uchiha next to him. "Hey, Ita-chan, help me?" he begged, searching for any hope that he could find.

"Shut up Tomoya!" a call was heard from the classroom.

Tomoya was about to go in to his emo corner.

The boy was kind of like Pain, with a happy personality, but he always went to his emo corner when someone was being "mean" to him. He wasn't exactly the "leader" type either.

"Tomoya, stop crying," Itachi ordered, rolling her eyes at him.

Deidara and Hidan sighed simultaneously.

"This isn't going to work, un," the blonde muttered, leaning against her left palm with her elbow on the desk.

Hidan rolled his eyes in a very dramatic manner. "No _fucking_ really?"

Ironically, the room suddenly grew extremely cold and silent, and even Tomoya had solidified in his spot. Only one person in the entire classroom could do such a thing.

"_Thank you_."

The words came from a certain raven Uchiha whose eyes returned to the original color of dull black from the menacing red.

Hidan's eye twitched, and he leaned over toward his best friend. "We should bring that chick down to hell. She could freeze that entire place. Fuck, she'd even scare the devil."

Deidara nodded, slightly frightened. "Agreed, yeah."

Itachi spoke again. "To you, Tomoya."

"Thank...you Ita-chan." Tomoya set some papers on the teacher's desk. He gave an awkward scared look once more to the Uchiha before beginning his announcement. "Anyway, the reason we asked you all to stay here after school was to help start on the plan for the graduation for the third years. It's in a little more than a month, but we are going to start planning now to make sure we'll actually finish...(because this class is ADD). We either can put on a play, or whatever else you guys want."

A girl raised her hand. "Will Sasori-kun be there to watch us?"

As much as Deidara wanted to tell her to _"back off bitch"_, she didn't, since technically they weren't dating yet. _Fuck the author_.

Itachi and Tomoya both rolled their eyes. "He's a _second_ year," Itachi answered. "And if you're that interested in him being there, ask him yourself, instead of being all giggly like a _retarded fangirl_."

Owch.

The girl glared at her and sat down, since she was standing up.

"Ignoring that," the raven head continued. "If we aren't able to finish choosing what we are going to put out for the graduation ceremonies today..."

Her eyes flashed red again, and she glared at the entire class.

"Not only will we be in trouble, there's going to be more than a _little shit_ going around here."

Deidara leaned over toward Hidan. "You're doing well of influencing people with your vocabulary, yeah."

The Jashinist nodded and smirked. "I'm awesome."

"Not really, yeah."

"Shut up, bitch."

Tomoya took out a sheet. "Okay, so," he grabbed a marker for the board and began writing. "Would you guys rather do this in smaller groups or as a class and decide what to do?"

Miki stood up. "I think we should do it in smaller groups. I'm sure _all_ but two girls would be in the same girl group anyway."

Everyone knew that Miki had a strong detest for both Deidara and Itachi. Whether it was jealousy or just pure hatred, was unclear.

"No, because we will make sure _one certain_ girl gets added into the two girls' group," Itachi snapped back.

"You're just—"

"Miki, just sit down. There's no need to cause turmoil," her boyfriend warned. Kuukai sighed. Girls were so troublesome.

The girl's eye twitched, but she complied.

"So, my guess is that we _will _be putting them into smaller groups?" Itachi questioned.

"Yeah," Tomoya answered. "I have a feeling that if we do this as a class, someone's going to get mauled."

"Agreed."

"Then, who's going to be grouping together?" Itachi called, catching the attention of everyone again.

Of course, everyone was already in his or her little groups. Each of the groups huddled together, signaling the Uchiha of the separation of each group. Tomoya began writing their names and grouping them by circles.

"Okay, so, Kizu's group—"

"We'll be doing a play," Takeichi answered.

It had been since October when the Akatsuki spoke to the player. But according to the first years, he had actually changed a bit, and managed to steadily have a girlfriend that he actually cared about.

A good chaotic ten minutes later, four groups' presentations were on the board. Tomoya reviewed over each one to make sure that they were correct. "Okay, so...Kizu's group will have a play, Ikari's (Miki's) group will have a song dance, Nadara's group will also have a play, and my group will be singing."

Everyone gave a swift nod, telling the class representatives that it was correct.

"Dismissed then," Itachi muttered.

In less than twenty seconds, everyone but the four was gone. And you know which four.

Itachi frowned and looked over toward the other two. "As much as I'm all up for this, I don't think the rest of the class is."

"You are?" Tomoya asked, surprised. "You never seem to be up to anything."

The raven head rolled her eyes. "I _prefer_ not to show it," she explained. "But that doesn't mean I'm having fun."

"I'm not sure if our "mother" will be able to take all of this," Hidan suddenly mumbled.

Itachi, Deidara, and Tomoya all raised an eyebrow. "**Why not **(un)?"

The sadomasochist sighed. "Because...well, don't tell anyone I said this...but," he put a hand over his forehead and eyes and sighed before continuing. "Pain told me she was fucking crying when she got home all last fucking week. It was over us, because she's worried about us. We want to fucking show her that we'll be okay and there's nothing to worry about."

_Sympathy, huh? _"Well, un. Then let's show her that, yeah. She's the one who helped us the most through everything, so we need to give her our thanks, un."

"I have _no shitting idea_ what you guys are talking about, but I agree," Tomoya answered awkwardly.

They all laughed.

* * *

><p>Konan looked over curiously toward the first years as they exited the building. "That was quick for <em>your<em> class," she commented, smiling. "Did you guys get your plan yet?"

"Yes..." Itachi muttered. She rubbed her temples with two fingers each. "Goddammit, that place was hell."

Kisame glared at Hidan.

"What the fuck, dude?"

"Quit teaching Ita-chan vulgar language!" Kisame warned.

"It's not my fault!"

"Yes it is!"

...

Pain looked back at Deidara and Itachi. "So~...what're you going to do for our graduation? Tell me?"

Deidara grinned. "That's a secret for you third-years, un." She looked around, noticing someone missing from the Akatsuki. "Hey, where's Sasori no Danna, hmmm?"

"Behind you brat."

The blonde turned around and smiled up at her boyfriend-to-be. "Danna!" She then noticed the stack of envelopes in his hand. "What's that, yeah?" she asked, pointing toward the nice stack of pink and red.

"Love letters. Are _you_ guys ready for an asstastic day of Valentine's day in four days? Because I _really_ don't want my bag to almost explode again."

"That was funny," Kakuzu commented.

"No it wasn't."

"What happened, yeah?"

Konan smirked. "He got so many love letters last year that his backpack almost exploded. Actually, it kind of did."

"And since he's a second year this year, he's probably going to get twice as much."

"Kisame! Don't make Deidara jealous!"

Sasori rolled his eyes, and wrapped an arm around Deidara's waist. He quietly whispered, "Hey, don't worry. You're the only one for this awesome guy."

"You're such a narcissist, yeah."

"Believe me, I know." He chuckled a bit.

"All right, now who's up for some karaoke and purikura?" Konan shouted, pumping a fist in the air.

Nobody said no.

And this time, they actual went past purikura and were able to karaoke unlike back in summer.


	33. Chapter 33: Red Heart

**A/N: **Sorry for not updating yesterday. There _will_ be two chapters today.

I woke up at 6:45 because my sister and my parents had to go to Houston for college stuff. (Someone here lived in Houston right?) But I'm sure as hell not going, because she never goes to my stuff. On top of that, I'm kind of lazy, and really don't want to go outside. So here I am right now, at my nana's house. Her computer doesn't have any word documents, so this is actually the same document on the document manager's for chapter 19. But it's kind of easier this way, actually.

School's starting on monday, and I've read only 57 pages of a 550 page book. ...I'm one tenth there! :D I'll finish, don't worry. If you are worrying. Whatever. It's nine when I'm typing this chapter, and it will probably be around eleven when I'm done. Well, while I'm talking, let's get down to the replies~ :3

**Glitterthorn: **Thanks~ :3

**Kuroui: **...lazy bum. ;) That's true, though, I mess up on my iTouch a lot with typing, especially when I was making the outline for this. XD *whistles at stalling moment*

**SasoxDei: **Well, it _is_ Valentines Day, so I will have some nice romance in this chapter...(Well, today's not Valentine's Day, but you know what I mean...)

**Sasunaru101: **Phew! Good, I was wondering what happened to you and your interactive reviews. X) Yup...puppet fucker...shit! Potato (I put puppet at first) launcher! *hides under table*

**karin taicho: **I will... ;)

**Akatsuki Stitches: **Okay...I'm gonna do my responses for you for each chapter seperately. :3

Chapter 27: *tries to hug back but fails* Haha, I'll get to you in PM. Nah, I think you're fine with links by the way. But I don't think that just anyone would go through all of them. XD You're welcome.

Chapter 28: Yeah, she's okay now, thank you. ^^

Chapter 29: ...I think it might be...X)

Chapter 30: Me too...but I only have, like, one friend that would since a lot of my closer friends aren't Christian, or are going to kill me for celebrating Christmas while being an Atheist. But that friend's also Atheist. (Jashinmas then? XD)

Chapter 31: I will. :D

Chapter 32: I come from a weird family (on my dad's side) so I'm surprised _I'm_ not ADD. My sister is though, and so is my "wife". ^^'

Alright, here's the story, and once again, I apologize for making you wait an extra day.

* * *

><p>Chapter 33: Red Heart<p>

February 14th, Valentine's Day

Immediately, Deidara had to literally drag Sasori to school. It was ridiculous of how adolescent he was being for how mature he usually was.

"Sasori no Danna! Now, un!"

"Deidara, I am _not_ putting a single foot in that school, much the less the courtyard, unless _nobody_ is there!" Sasori argued.

"No, un! Now quit being stubborn, hmmm!"

Deidara grabbed Sasori's arm tighter and glared at her best friend behind them. "Help me, Hidan!" she yelled.

Remember, those three ride the same train.

Hidan rolled his eyes, and sighed. "Fine, bitch."

Then, with strength that came up out of nowhere, he lifted up Sasori by the thighs and thrusted him over his shoulder. Deidara and Sasori were both quite astonished. But they were more concerned about how _awkward_ it looked with how Sasori was flung over Hidan's shoulder. Not to mention Sasori was a good year older than Hidan.

"Uhh...thanks Hidan, yeah."

"You're welco-"

"Hidan, you have three seconds to put me down," the red head ordered.

"Well, in three seconds, we'll be in the fucking courtyard. Oh, nevermind, we are."

Sasori froze entirely, and Hidan set him down as he asked. But what would happen next wasn't going to be much better.

Once the second and first years of Shinobi High School saw the handsome, athletic, sexy, yet cold and aloof red head, they ran in the largest group of fangirls that Deidara and Hidan had ever seen.

"It must suck to be Sasori."

"I should be lucky I'm not a guy, yeah."

"Narcassist."

"I get it from Danna."

"..."

"..."

Everyone in the courtyard was staring at the nice group of the Sasori fanclub next to Deidara and Hidan. The rest of the Akatsuki walked over toward them.

"Well...good...morning..." Pain started.

"But I guess not for Sasori."

"Should we help him?" Kakuzu asked.

Everyone else shrugged. "We'll fucking help him out eventually."

And unfortunately for the popular second-year, everyone else agreed.

* * *

><p>Sasori was <em>not<em> a pretty interaction to run into that day. To put it simply, he was extremely pissed. At everyone besides Deidara, of course. And that girl was probably the only reason he had not deliberately taken Hidan's retractable spike from the Jashinist's bag and killed anyone in his path with one hit. Besides, if it was anyone who was going to create a massacre at the school, it would be the one who was in the actual religion that killed meaninglessly.

It was a dreadful seven hours at school before afternoon came.

KLUNK

That was the noise that continued to be heared whenever Sasori dumped the Valentine's in trash cans that day.

Deidara frowned and pursed her lips. "You know, you could at least read them, un."

The red head turned around the glared at her. "Does this face _tell_ you that I would actually would do such a ridiculous thing?"

Of course it did! (Just kidding.)

"But they do really like you, un."

"I don't care if they actually _loved_ me. I'm not going to read them. Speaking of which, don't you have something?"

The blonde shook her head and waggled her right forefinger in front of his face teasingly. "Selfish, selfish, un. And goodness, hold on. Be patient, yeah."

Sasori's eye twitched. "Does it actually _look_ like I can be? Deidara," he put a hand on her shoulder, and hunched his back. "I'm about to tear my hair out. And I _really_ don't want to be bald at the age of seventeen."

Deidara shook her head again. "I wouldn't want you to either, yeah. But fine. Since you're so pushy..." The girl shuffled into her school bag, and pulled out a carefully red-colored package in the shape of a heart. there was a white card on top. Everything was either red or white, in other words, no pink.

"No pink?" Sasori inquired as his to-be-girlfriend handed him the present.

The girl puffed out her cheeks cutely, and answered, "Well, you don't like it right? And besides, red matches you better, un."

The second year rolled his eyes. "I guess there's no argument there."

"Well?" Deidara demanded. "Open it, yeah. Before you change your mind and decide to throw it away with the others."

"I wouldn't do that. Can I read the card?"

The blonde's face turned pink. "Uh...yeah...un."

Raising an eyebrow, but complying with the first-year's wishes, Sasori tore open the white envelope and pulled out a red, rose-decorated card. The card itself was red paper, but there was no mistake that the neatly and amazingly drawn roses on the left and bottom edges were the work of the other artist.

The red head flipped the page, and read in his head, just in case whatever was written was quite personal, as well as so nobody would know. Afterall, they were in a very empty hall that would echo sometimes even through the entire school.

_Dear Sasori no Danna..._

_Happy Valentine's Day. _

_I was working really hard to think of what to write on this, so I kind of googled it. :P But to let you know..._

_I like you a whole bunch, Danna. (Especially when you're not pissed.)_

_So...that kind of sucked. _

_But it's the truth. So, Danna..._

_Be my Valentine?_

_With love, patience, and artistic ability, your partner,_

_Iwakatsu Deidara _

Hell, that was cheesy, but as Sasori read over it, he could tell how carefully his goddammit-why-aren't-you-my-girlfriend had picked her words. The word "love" hadn't been mentioned in it even once, and he understood and like it that way.

"D-did you like it, un?" Deidara asked, stuttering.

Well, this was an interesting side of the girl he wasn't used to. But damn, he could get used to a shy, adorable girlfriend-to-be.

"Yeah...I can tell that it's really honest..." Sasori replied.

"O-okay."

The red head looked down at the poorly flushed girl's face.

"Deidara...?"

"Y-yeah?"

"Go out with me?"

The actual package didn't even have a scratch on it.

* * *

><p>Kakuzu had to catch a wide-eyed Hidan when they heard the news.<p>

"Holy mother fucking Kakuzu's ass."

"Excuse me?"

"No-fucking-thing."

Deidara shly hid behind Sasori when the entire Akatsuki's eyes dug holes into them.

"The reader's are going to be so happy!" Konan yelled, doing a victory dance, as well as breaking the fourth wall again. Smash. "And now we can all date!"

"Congratulations," Kisame said.

"Two artists, huh?" Itachi added.

Pain smirked and folded his arms.

"Uh, hello, bitch?" Hidan pulled the attention toward himself and Kakuzu.

"What?" Konan snarled. Nobody was going to break her good mood! Stop it Hidan!

"**We're not (fucking) going out**," both Kakuzu and Hidan said at the same time.

"Well, poor you guys. Now come on, let's go to some romantic place, and make the air all uncomfortable."

Reluctantly, but happily (besides Kakuzu and hidan) they all followed her to the magic area of love.

* * *

><p>The place was called "Darling Angel".<p>

Jut the way it was spelled and sounded when the words were spoken made both Hidan and Kakuzu want to barf. They weren't asexual; they just _really_ didn't want to be included in something that didn't have anything to do with them. Not to mention, they both thought that Konan had an interesting fetish for yaoi...

"Darling Angel" was apparently just a gigantic maze of love shit. There were four doors in the front, and you took different paths after that.

"Nagato and I will take the second one," Konan announced, grabbing the door handle of the second door and turning it. The door opened, and red walls could be seen.

They went in, and only a second later, the door opened again. "And we _better_ see you guys go through this and exit the doorways on the other side," she warned.

The rest of the Akatsuki sweat dropped as the door closed again.

"We'll take the right one," Kisame called as he dragged Itachi toward the door. They disappeared as well, holding hands.

Sasori smirked and lifted Deidara up by the waist, making her almost scream. "Gah!"

"Well, I dunno about you guys, but we're taking the left door. Have fun," the red head declared, dipping down under the door so Deidara's head wouldn't smack the top of the railing.

The door closed, leaving Hidan and Kakuzu.

The Jashinist turned toward the miser.

"Fuck."

"You think?"

"So you're my fucking boyfriend for the time being."

"Is that unfortunate or fortunate for you, Hidan?"

"Both."

"Unfortunately, I have to agree with you."

* * *

><p>It <em>is<em> eleven! Yay! I was right!

Three more chapters, and this story is over! Thank you everyone!


	34. Chapter 34: Graduation Ceremony

**A/N: **Second chapter of the day!

...I'm tired...

Wow. I was just called a chump for asking what kind of inking pens would be good for art. Now I'm kind of pissed...

DAMMIT! School starts in three days...I don't wanna go... D: *sits in corner and pouts like an immature child*

**Glitterthorn: **You discovered Vocaloid? Good for you! *hugs* YAY! Best day? :D

**Kuroui: **Well, slightly. ;) Yay, laptop! XD

**SasoxDei: **Yesh!

Well, whatever. Here's your chapter!

* * *

><p>Chapter 34: Graduation Ceremony<p>

It was the fastest month and a week that the Akatsuki had ever experienced.

It started off as a beautiful morning at Shinobi High School. The sun glistened on pavement, and made the school look like a kingdom's castle. Sprouting cherry blossom petals drifted softly to the ground just as they did last year, back when Hidan and Deidara had joined the Akatsuki.

It had been a year since then.

The morning had began with a gathering in the school auditorium. The auditorium was decorated with fake and real flowers, and a large sign that said "CONGRATULATIONS TO THE GRADUATORS" on a white banner in hot pink letters. It was signed with name of teachers and non-graduating students. Green plants filled the area around the stage, and a large medal-like circle was hooked onto the farthest curtain with a ring going through it with "Shinobi High School" written in it. In the closest right "corner", a wooden podium rested with a microphone stand (and of course, a microphone) attatched to it.

The third years sat at the right, the second years in the middle, and the first years on the left. Parents sat behind the students. Deidara had managed to snag a seat closest to the second years, which made her closest to Sasori. Itachi did the same, and she was just right behind the blonde while being seated next to her boyfriend as well. Hidan sat to the left of Deidara, being the awkward one with no one to love. The only seats that were unfilled were the third years', for they had the "awesome grand" entrance thing.

And although the third years hadn't arrived into the auditorium yet, there was a strange tension in the air. But that was soon swiped away, because everyone immediately became quite as the music teacher (Kurenai) began a soft song on the piano. It was the tune to Ikimono Gakari's "Saigo no Houkago" (1), but no lyrics were included. Her fingers glided down each key as the first third year began walking into the auditorium; they were lined up in alphabetical order. Every person in the cafeteria stood up and clapped for their fellow upper classmen and child. Feet patted lightly on the hard floor, until the very end of the song. The third years held their heads high-it was their moment, afterall. It took the entire five minutes and forty-something seconds until every student of the Shinobi High School's third year was standing right above their seats.

Principal Tsunade stepped onto stage. She wore a black "suit", and had a red ribbon exactly like the female students around the collar of her shirt underneath. The blonde, big boobed woman grabbed the microphone softly (because she had destroyed two by accident in the past and really wanted to avoid doing that on graduation day), and allowed the third years to take their seats. "Everyone may now take a seat."

They all sat at once, and the few moving of chairs were all that were heard.

After it all settled down, Tsunade started again. She cleared her throat once. "Welcome, all and one to this year's graduation ceremony. I am Principal Tsunade, and today, we will watch our third-years graduate from their 12 years of education, and on forward. I would like to call the third year's class president to the stage."

Tsunade took the microphone and handed it to the class president of the third-years. His name was Kudo Ao. He might have been class president, but he didn't look very smart. The raven-head had side swept hair with brunette streaks. Well, at least he looked kind of cool. Afterall, being intelligent wasn't _everything_.

The class president readjusted his red and striped tie and took a large breath in. He spoke clearly, just as expected of the class president of the third-year class. "Again, welcome fellow students and parents to the graduation ceremony. My name is Kudo Ao, and I am president of the studen council of Shinobi High School." Ao set his paper with speech notes down on the podium in front of him.

"He doesn't look like he deserves to be the president..." Sasori muttered.

Deidara rolled her eyes at his remark.

Ao stopped his speech, and Kisame almost thought that he had heard Sasori's whisper. But of course, that was just an assumption.

"_If you can imagine it, you can acheive it; if you can dream it, you can become it_." Ao stopped again, letting the quote by William Ward sink into the audience. "As graduators of Shinobi High School, we all have dreams we want to achieve. Looking back through the years of high school, there was much that we all had, but we didn't have anything to get us completely ready for this day. For me, I truly enjoyed just being able to be here, at this school, and be surrounded by this many people who truly care about each other."

Hidan and Kisame chuckled. "Isn't _that_ the fucking truth?" Hidan whispered sarcastically.

"I will miss that about this school, since not many school's are as fortunate as we are ourselves. But simply, I am sure that we would all like to thank the teachers, the faculty, and our parents for making this all possible. Third-years, live on!"

Everyone cheered as Ao gave a high fist pump. "Thank you everyone. Next in our program is our guest speaker, Nadara Misaki. She is a graduator from Shinobi High School from seven years ago."

Ao handed the microphone over carefully to Misaki.

The 25 year old looked very pale for an Asian, and her eyes were an icy cold ebony. She was quite skinny, and had a fake smile graced acrossed her lips in once again, fake, happiness.

Simply put it, no one listened to her. Seriously, who would listen to a 80-year old looking woman's speech that was fifteen disgusting minutes long? So, what's the point of me writing it? Next!

"Congratulations to all the third years once again," she finished, and finally walked off.

Tsunade walked up on stage again, taking the microphone from Misaki. "Our next event is our diplomas. Please give a round of applause for our third years. Graduators, please stand and come to the stage."

One by one, names were called, and feet tracked up the stairs to the stage. Kakuzu was in the first twenty, but was not expecting the loud call of,

"YEAH! GO KAKUZU! YA MOTHER FUCKER!"

All eyes went to Hidan, before they all heard Kakuzu snicker. Hidan was left unfazed with all the stares, but a grin was left on his face.

Deidara nudged Hidan harshly, still clapping for the graduators. Sasori eye twitched at him, and Kisame and Itachi just stared at him with You-_are_-and-idiot looks.

"Ow, bitch!" The Jashinist stopped applauding (much too loudly) to cradle his arm.

"You just _had_ to do that, didn't you, un?" Deidara hissed, keeping her voice hushed.

Hidan's only answer was, "Of course!"

He didn't even curse.

* * *

><p>After the cermony, the graduation party was to begin, but after the graduators had their pictures taken. The party was also held at the heavily decorated auditorium, so while the third-years were getting their pictures, everyone else had to move chairs around so they would fit into the round tables that were moved into the room. There was a maximum of eight chairs per table, which obviously meant the Akatsuki sat together. Parents were welcome, but barely any stayed. There were probably only about ten.<p>

"Alright, guys! Right now we're going to start the graduation party!" Ao yelled into the microphone. "All the classes or groups and shit have something to present to us all, so watch carefully! But first...the two rows of front tables! Get your food!" He ordered the command, and pointed toward the long tables filled with food in the very back.

The people from the front tables rush to get their food that everyone had taken a share in buying or making for the entire school. The slow line only made Hidan more giddy and annoyed from the inability to get food.

"BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH..." the Jashinist groaned, slamming his arms on the table with his upper body. He was so pale, he could've passed as a ghost. Was this what the lack of food for twenty minutes did to Hidan?

"Hidan, calm down," Kakuzu warned, still slightly pissed off about the sudden outburst during the ceremony.

"Ah, shut up, you bastard."

"Okay, you guys in the back can get your food now, since the line's gone," Ao announced, jumping off of the stage. He had to get his food too.

The Akatsuki stood up, racing toward the food tables. Mixed rice, white rice, beef, chicken, pork, fruit salad, regular salad, plates of fruits, fudge and much much more filled up the tables.

"What did we bring again?" Konan asked her friends.

"Kisame and I brought pilaf," Itachi stated.

"Good way to make me happy, yeah," Deidara joked. But it was true, she hated pilaf with a burning passion. "I brought the cookies down there, by the way."

"Cookies, brat? That doesn't seem like you."

"Well, I am a girl afterall, un."

"Who gives a fuck anyway?"

"Hidan!"

When everyone was done getting their food, the third year class president walked up back to the top of the stage. He had a plate of food in his hands.

"Okay," he started, munching while talking. "We're *munch* going to start *crunch* with the _good_ programs. *crunch* We're going to start with 1A's play, called...er...umm...oh. It's called "Silent Talk". Give it up for 1A!"

Some people cheered, and the others clapped, including Ao, as he jogged off the stage for the curtains to open.

* * *

><p>The short play had been about 15 minutes, and was about a girl who couldn't find the courage to break out of her box. Whatever that was. Everyone clapped anyway.<p>

Ao stepped back onto the stage, his lips in a wide grin. "Okay, thank you, 1A! Next, we have 1B with four groups. First, we have Kizu Takeichi, Masamune Sho-"

The Akatsuki, even the ones of 1B, had stopped listening, and went to their own chitter chatter.

"So...can't you tell us now?" Pain begged the first-years.

Deidara waggled her finger like she did before and shook her head. "Still a secret, un."

"And it won't be a secret if you know," Itachi added nonchalantly.

Kakuzu rolled his eyes. "As if that wasn't obvious."

After Kizu and Nadara had finished performing, Miki and her group were called to the stage. There were ten of the dancers, including Miki. Miki stood in the middle with another behind her sitting, and the other eight circling around them. All were facing the opposite direction. Soon enough, a song began playing, and all dancers snapped their arms to the right or left, depending on the side of the circle they were on. Miki snapped hers up, and the other snapped hers down. Anyone could recognize the song immediately as Love So Sweet by Arashi.

_Woah, woah, woah, yeah, yeah, yeah_

_Woah, woah, woah, yeah, yeah, yeah_

_Woah, woah_

The dance was no cheerleader dance, so it wasn't all that amazing, but it was surprisingly good for a simple dance, and for Miki. Well, at least in Itachi and Deidara's perspective. Enough with the annoying girl, they went to go change, afterall, they were next. The two grabbed Tomoya and Hidan as well.

Miki looked quite satisfied and prideful when she finished with her pointing right finger in the air, her arm up high.

Applaud was heard throughout the auditorium, only adding to her satisfaction.

Ao took the microphone back again from the podium and spoke. "Okay, that was 1B's third group, and now we come down to our fourth and final group from 1B, which include Iwakatsu Deidara, Kuraji Hidan, Satou Tomoya, and Uchiha Itachi!"

Deidara, Hidan, Tomoya, and Itachi appeared from behind the curtains, and were given applauds (especially for Deidara and Itachi) from the crowd, especially from Akatsuki.

Deidara and Itachi both took the spare microphones and spoke.

"This is a song to the third years who have ever helped their underclassmen with their problems of growing up. Our group composed this song-I hope you like it."

Hidan took a seat at the drums, and Tomoya grabbed his bass.

The two females had guitars, and they all looked at each other with anxiety and excitement as Tomoya started the song.

* * *

><p>(1) "Saigo no Houkago": It literally means "The Last After School", but it means it's the last time that there will be such a thing as "after school".<p>

My favorite Japanese songs are "Sekai Ni Hitotsu Dake no Hana" by Smap, "Dear" by Vocaloid, and "Yuushinron" by Radwimps. Just to let you know.


	35. Chapter 35: The Last Day

**A/N: **It's Saturday! Well, here at least. Two more days until school, and only one more chapter (after this) of Long Live, Akatsuki, until the end!

About the Sequel, it's still untitled, and is scheduled to come out on August 28th, Sunday, one week after this is completed. It takes place about one week after the end of the last chapter, where in school starts again. Of course, with our third-years in college, Kisame and Sasori as third-years, Deidara, Itachi, and Hidan as second-years, and our protagonists in Naruto as third-years!

And who stirs up trouble?

Why, none other than the little bitch, Sakura Haruno.

Thank you for following me this far! ;)

**Kuroui:** Oh, wow, I love that song a bunch. But it's not the song that they're singing. ;)

**Glitterthorn: **I should probably change the summary too *implied* Kakuhi so I don't get killed by the fans...

**Akatsuki Stitches:** You're sick? That sucks... Hope you get better! And I know right? Graduation really sucks to sit through. I have to sit through one every year for Japanese school...

**SasoxDei: **Did you graduate last year?

**Sasunaru101: **Yes Sasori...you are a weeny. You miss your parents even when you turned 35...that's kind of pathetic, no offence. Haha, good night! (Or should i say good afternoon? It's one pm here now...)

Welcome, second to last chapter. Sorry this one was a little late, but I'm looking for a Deidara/blonde wig...dammit. But I loved writing their outfits in this chapter...damn. :)

Also, "This is when Deidara is singing", _"This is when Itachi's singing"_, and **"This is when they're both singing"**.

* * *

><p>Chapter 35: The Last Day<p>

Kisame and Sasori's eyes widened past the point of humanely possible. The third years were surprised as well.

The two second years turned toward each other in an image of holy-shit-our-girlfriends-are-fucking-hot. If you were that type of girl, Tomoya and Hidan would've been definitely hot to you too.

Itachi spoke into the microphone first. (A/N: Quick recap) "This is a song to the third years who have ever helped their underclassmen with their problems of growing up."

Deidara put the microphone near her bottom lip and added, "This song is called _Scar_, yeah. It goes a little something like this."

Kisame leaned over toward Sasori. "Since when did Itachi and Deidara have extensions?"

The red head shook his head in his response. "They didn't have them before."

They returned to the watching and listening as the song began with Tomoya's bass. His hair covered his right eye, unlike how usually it was completely out of his face. A green streak (or most likely extension as well) lined down the fringe and on his left side. Fingerless black mid-arm (between the wrist and elbow) gloves with chains covered both of his arms as he played the black and red bass. Tomoya's shirt was dark red with what looked like a gigantic skull about to eat your face with neon splatters around it. And of course, he wore a pair of black denim jeans. His boots gave him a good boost in height (since he was only a tad bit taller than Deidara and shorter than Itachi and Hidan) with the large soles. The boots were black as well, and had buckles and straps. A hidden zipper was on the side.

When Hidan began playing the drums, the attention was pulled to the Jashinist. Unfortunately and fortunately, he looked like the typical Hidan out of school. So his description will be alot shorter, especially since you probably want to "hear" the song that they performing. Well, simply put it, he had purple extension in the same style as his hair, a fine bottom smeared line of eye liner, black and white striped elbow-length gloves, dark grey jeans, and a half open button up (and tucked in) collared shirt. And you could never forget the black converse that he wore everywhere.

"Pain's been held in my hands for a while  
>The world's been crushing down on us<br>You want to give up because there's no way out  
>Ya wanna run away and see through this..."<p>

Deidara lifted her hands up in motion. It stretched the black white-splattered jackets sleeves.

"_Come angel, please help me_  
><em>One more moment vanish me<em>  
><em>Speak to me, come help<em>  
><em>But I've learned that..."<em>

The words went to Itachi, and they leaned against each other, back-to-back. Their boots' chains and buckles clackled against each other as they began singing the chorus.

"**The scars keep disappearing**  
><strong>As long as we keep going<strong>  
><strong>But it's thanks to you that<strong>  
><strong>I'm up on feet again<strong>  
><strong>I might fall down again but<strong>  
><strong>I know I can continue on<strong>  
><strong>Keep the scars disappearing<strong>  
><strong>I'm healing up now<strong>"

They pulled apart, and Itachi turned her back (and butt) toward the crowd, making the students eyes run to Deidara. (Well...actually, probably Itachi, so never mind.)

"The stitches could sew them up  
>Wherever I go<br>But one day I would find that  
>They won't always hold."<p>

Deidara saw Kakuzu's eye twitch at that verse.

"_Speak to me_  
><em>Tell me where to go<em>  
><em>Oh! Oh! Oh!<em>  
><em>Because I've learned that-<em>"

"**The scars keep disappearing**  
><strong>As long as we keep going<strong>  
><strong>But it's thanks to you that<strong>  
><strong>I'm up on feet again<strong>  
><strong>I might fall down again but<strong>  
><strong>I know I can continue on<strong>  
><strong>Keep the scars disappearing<strong>  
><strong>I'm healing up now.<strong>"

They both inhaled deeply (but it wasn't heard in the microphones) before going up an octave higher. "**Woah~ Now~! Now~!**"

The drums rhythm enlightened in speed and volume.

"**The scars keep disappearing**  
><strong>As long as we keep going<strong>  
><strong>But it's thanks to you that<strong>  
><strong>I'm up on feet again<strong>  
><strong>I might fall down again but<strong>  
><strong>I know I can continue on<strong>  
><strong>Keep the scars disappearing<strong>  
><strong>I'm healing up now.<strong>

**We're healing...**"

The song ended with all of them facing downward. Hidan and Itachi had their left hand out toward their right side (with Itachi's hand grasping the neck of the guitar) and Tomoya and Deidara had their right hand pulled out to their right side.

A jingle and click of shoe buckles were heard before the applause began.

* * *

><p>"I didn't know you guys could sing so well," Pain commentedpraised, folding his arms under his chin and holding himself up with his elbows.

"Oh god...that was beautiful..." Konan (almost!) sobbed.

"Thanks, un."

"Hn."

"Well, thank you mother fuckers," Hidan complained, feeling left out (not really).

"Oh, good job Hidan," Sasori complimented (mocked).

"Fuck you, jackass."

* * *

><p>There was only three things you needed to know next.<p>

One was that the third years of the Akatsuki were too "lazy" to perform any type of show.

The second was the Sasori and Kisame's class play will not be written, but it was called "The Tomato".

And third is that Sasori was the tomato.

* * *

><p>Once the graduation party was over and had been cleaned up, the Akatsuki moved outside.<p>

Konan turned around first, and stared at the building that she would see for the last time as a student of the schools. Starting next week, she would go to college, and she was also moving tomorrow. _This might be...the last time I see this place. I'm going to miss it like hell._

Pain turned around second. _I'm going probably be schoolsick from here. As much as I hate to admit, I'm going to really miss being called stupid by my own organization so often..._

Kakuzu turned last, breathing out into his mask.

"We're going to miss this place, aren't we?" he asked the other two.

They both nodded in response. "**Yup**."

And finally, Konan began to cry.

"This...*sob*...is a lot *sniff* harder than I would've thought..." Konan sobbed, burying her eyes into her right arm, trying to wipe the tears away.

Pain frowned, and patted Konan's back gently. "Hey, sweetie, it's f-f-fine..." Before they knew it, Pain was crying as well.

Hidan hit Kakuzu on the back. "C'mon, man! Show some emo-"

But that one friendly hit on the back had made Kakuzu break down as well. "S-s-shut up...i-idiot...I'm going to k-kill y-you..." Kakuzu unclipped his mask on both sides and clutched it in his left hand as he desperately tried to wipe away the tears with his other hands. _Dammit...how long has it been since I've cried?_

The rest of the organization smiled sadly, sympathizing their upperclassmen (and one woman).

* * *

><p><em>Five years ago...<em>

_It was stormy outside, but that didn't affect Konan or Pain. They both liked rain a lot since they were small. But there was the problem of getting home._

_The rain splattered every droplet hard and quick onto the pavement, and made each one louder and more severe than the former. _

_"Nagato, let's go home," Konan sighed, trying to shrug off the fact that they were going to get pneumonia if they even took a step in the drenched outside._

_"Konan, as much as I'm all up for getting pneumonia, I'd rather not." Pain said the first part with sarcasm. _

_"You guys need something?"_

_The bluenette and orange-head looked behind and above them to see a taller individual with a mask. He looked kind of scary, but both pretended to be left unfazed._

_"We kind of just forgot our umbrella," Pain explained hurriedly._

_The tall one, known as Kakuzu, smirked under his masks and handed the same year boy his brown one._

_"Use it."_

_"But-"_

_"No buts."_

_"Aren't you going to get sick?"_

_"I don't get sick."_

_"...Thanks then."_

_"It's nothing."_

_Over an umbrella, a beautiful friendship was born._

_"Name's Kakuzu. And that'll be two hundred yen."_

_"..."_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Great. I wanted to end this chapter on a good note, but then my mom made me mad.

We were arguing about how I'm on the computer so much and how I don't help around, and that left me pissy, ya know? And then, when I was cleaning up dishes, I knocked over the cap for this jar twice, and she laughed at me. I don't know if she was trying to brighten the mood or what, but I'm unfazed. Then she told me that I was probably thinking that she needed to shut up, and then she told me to stop crying (which I was on the verge of, because she was laughing at me, pissing me off more.).

Urgh.

Sorry, I just had to get that out there, because I'm really annoyed right now. *sighs*

As much as we love our moms, we just all have those times, don't we?

...it took me seven hours to write this chapter...(of course, I was procrastinating half the time anyway, so that's my fault...XD)


	36. Chapter 36: Long Live, Akatsuki

**A/N: **Wow...this is the last chapter?

Amazing...

All information will be at the end of this chapter.

**Akatsuki Stitches: **Haha, it used to soooo much, but at least now since I'm in middle school at Japanese school, I can actually go to the graduation party! :) Oh...you and your skittles...

**Kuroui: **The unexpected happens! Le gasp~ Lol, I should use Karin too. Ew, Sasuke? He's a stick dick. X) But I think of him as a "gigantic dick" not in the good way. I read a fanfic with Hidan saying that once, and although the part was extremely serious, I couldn't help but laugh.

**Sasunarufan101: **Yes, Sasori, you are a weeny. But don't worry, you aren't weeny enough to be an uke. (Damn, I hate him as uke!)

Lmao, oh, Tomoya. I think I'll draw a picture of him later and post it on deviantart. Lol! Blood's Sexting? That's an interesting thing right there. XD

And I didn't even notice that you spelled snap wrong. I'm so awesome.

**Sasodei: **Ooh~ That's cool. We have, like a five year age difference. XD

**karin tacho: **I know right? :)

Haha, but _I _myself procrastinate all the time, actually. X) And thank you~

Introducing, the last chapter. Thank you for all of the support throughout the entire story.

* * *

><p>Chapter 36: Long Live, Akatsuki<p>

The dark sky that the next day brought was another factor of the depression that raised among the graduates.

It wasn't a happy day to say the least, but anyone who was someone tried to boost up the mood to at least a content level.

Eight certain members of an organization were just as sad. They stood right before the entrance of the "flippings" on the machines that entered you toward the platforms at the train station. Tobi and Zetsu were absent from the parting, due to technical college duties.

"So...this is really goodbye then?" Itachi asked the graduates after a moment of silence. Her face was just as stoic as any day, but that wasn't the case in her heart.

Konan gave her a blank look, answering blandly, "Ita-chan, we're not dying, we're going to college." She was being just like herself, but it was clearly seen that she was almost falling apart on the inside. The grasp on her bag tightened.

The Uchiha rolled her eyes at the bluenette's comment.

Konan and Pain had fixed to go to Amegakure University for a full four years, and most likely to graduate school as well. The woman would be studying physiology, and the other majored in health communication. Kakuzu had his goals set on accounting. Like that was a big surprise anyway. Money, miser, accountant. Not to mention that he had heard accountants make a quite decent amount of money.

Hidan walked up closer toward his partner, poking the miser with a finger.

"Dude, don't get fucking overworked," he cautioned. "Your brain cells might explode."

Kakuzu shoved the finger away. "Don't you start worrying about me, idiot. The only brain cells that will explode will be from your stupidity," he muttered darkly, although he wasn't actually agitated. "I'll be fine." Immediately after, a thought clicked in his brain. "Are you worried?" He chuckled at his teasing toward the younger.

"Of fucking course not!" the Jashinist shot back defensively. How dare that stupid-! His thoughts were interrupted by a blonde.

"Denial~, un."

She got a punch in the face for that. (Which of course, led to Sasori trying to murder Hidan and the rest of them trying to prevent a war.)

When they looked around, they noticed other kouhais with their sempais. (1) Of course, it wasn't really a happy aura, but they could relate to each one, nontheless.

"Besides, you guys can come see us anytime," Pain offered. "We'll be coming back here during break too." He reassured all of them.

Konan suddenly grabbed both her first year "daughters". They hugged back, all three of them sobbing. Even Itachi.

"K-Konan...goddammit, make me cry, won't you?" Itachi blustered, stuttering.

"S-Shut up...I-Ita-chan..."

The men stood back, quietly watching the three with sad looks. Sure, women were troublesome with their friendship tactics, but something like this wasn't just about how troublesome they were.

"Konan..." Pain ushered. They had to go.

Konan slowly and hesitantly pulled away from her two friends. "I know," she whispered, clearing the tears from her cheeks and puffy red eyes. "We need to go."

They both picked up their belongings, and smiled sadly toward the rest of the organization that they wouldn't see until...

Before the thought could be finished, Itachi stepped up, her fist clenched. She grabbed Konan's wrist, opened it, slipped something into her palm, and closed it.

Konan immediately tried to find what it was, but Itachi stopped her.

"Don't," she said. "Wait until you get on the shinkanse, at least. Both of you need to read it."

Pain raised an eyebrow towards his girlfriend, who silently took the message. She nodded at the Uchiha and began walking toward the machines.

The tickets were inserted, and they were on the other side.

Both of them looked back once, and mouthed their own goodbyes.

_We'll always be together...and I'll still be your half-witted, idiotic leader._

_I love you guys...goodbye._

* * *

><p>Five minutes passed, and now Kakuzu had to go.<p>

This time, Hidan handed him the object in his palm, and gently closed the hand again. The Jashinist held it for a moment before looking up toward the taller miser.

"No more fucking arguments?" he asked.

"Unfortunately not."

Kakuzu pulled off his mask, confusing the others. "Thanks for the present." He pressed his thin lips onto the cussing first-year's forehead.

It only lasted a matter of one second.

And it took another for everyone else to figure what had just happened.

"YOU MOTHER FUCKING SON OF A BITCH! GET BACK HERE! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK-"

Kakuzu looked back toward his friends, and smirked. He had already passed the gate.

His mask was still off, showing the now visible stitches.

Hidan's face turned red.

* * *

><p>Pain leaned over toward Konan.<p>

"What did Itachi put in your hand?" he asked, pulling his rolling bag closer.

Konan slowly opened her hand. "I'm not sure." She picked the piece of paper up with her left and began to unfold it. It had been folded at least five times, into a small but thick rectangle.

The two ran their eyes through the writing.

Neither of them could help the grin that captured their lips.

* * *

><p>Kakuzu opened his palmed and used his hand to unfold the paper.<p>

It was a measly piece, but that didn't matter. Small letters were written in everyone's handwriting.

_Don't be such a miser in high school. -Itachi_

_Later. :) -Hoshigaki Kisame_

_See you. Bye best friend. -Sasori_

_Good luck! (Un?) ~Dei :P_

But what caught his eye was the last and fifth one.

_Don't be such a fucking retard, you bastard._

_..._

_I might like you._

_But just a little._

_-Your partner, Hidan._

Kakuzu smiled under his mask.

* * *

><p>Kisame looked up.<p>

"You think they read the messages?"

They all smiled.

It was a question that didn't need an answer anyway.

_It's only the end of this part of life, the story continues on, as the Akatsuki does._

_Long Live, Akatsuki._

* * *

><p>(1) Kouhai: Underclassman Sempai: ...if you don't know this, go watch some Tobi.<p>

Also, a shinkanse is like a train, but goes like, really fast. If you look it up on Google images, you'll see.

**A/N: **Holy Jashin! It's done! :O Sorry it's short.

I gotta admit, I'm really proud-this is my first long story I've ever finished. Before, all of them ended at like, five or six chapters.

So, sequel will be out one week from now, because school's starting tomorrow, so then I can take "notes" and shit about school, so I won't be all freaking about how I'm messing shit up. X) The chapters _will_ be longer in the next one, probably around 3000-4000 words for every chapter.

Also, I probably will only be able to update once every two days, because cheerleading takes up my Tuesdays and Wednesdays... :/ And I have homework and I also kinda have a life... XD

Thank you for all the alerts, favorites, and reviews! I love y'all.

Also, I will probably be having a second sequel as well, because I plan to have a good amount of foreshadowing in the next one (there was some in this as well) directing toward a few major events that were supposed to happen in the first place. I won't tell you what they are though...kukuku...

I'll see you guys next week, or maybe before that! I'm continuing to write that stupid one shot that I have no ideas for! :D

And once again, my dedication goes to my lovely best friend. Thank you girl. Love you, and hope you are doing well!

Bye bye! :)


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